MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 8, 2018) â€" Despite a great start in which the Milligan College baseball team jumped on the board with three runs in the top of the first inning of its home opener, the Buffs were handed a doubleheader sweep by University of Rio Grande Thursday at Anglin Field. Milligan lost the first game 15-4 and the second game 10-2, both in seven innings.
 
EARLY LEAD IN GAME ONE
Things looked good early as Milligan game one starting pitcher Cameron Harper put the RedStorm down in order in the top of the first inning of the opener and the Buffs' bats followed suit with a three-run effort in the bottom half. The first four Milligan hitters to bat reached base, including Chris Patterson who drove in a run with a single to left field.
 
Brandon Laboy and Juan Vasquez followed later with RBI's of their own to build Milligan's lead up to 3-0 after the first inning. However, Rio responded with four runs in the top of the second then made it an even bigger lead with a six-spot in the fourth.
 
GAME ONE LEADERS
Patterson led the Buffs at the plate with a 2-for-4, one RBI, one run effort. Laboy, Vasquez and Ryan Young also drove in a run apiece, and Garrett Dalton, Jascanel Ferreras and Young accounted for the runs.
 
RIO'S EARLY LEAD IN GAME TWO
Rio used the momentum from a 15-run effort in game one to get on the board first in game two. The RedStorm scored twice in the first then three runs in the third off starter Chandler Daniels. Laboy gave Milligan a spark in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer to cut into the deficit, but Rio once against responded, this time with five runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan and Rio Grande will finish the four-game series with another doubleheader on Friday beginning at 12 p.m. Teams are scheduled to play one nine-inning game followed by one seven-inning game.