NEW ALBANY, Ind. (March 6, 2018) â€" The Milligan College baseball team hit the road for Indiana for a nonconference twin bill at No. 19 Indiana University Southeast. Despite scoring five runs in the top of the first inning in game one, Milligan lost both games, 14-6 and 9-4, Tuesday afternoon.
 
The losses moved Milligan to 5-12 this season. IU Southeast, which ranks No. 19 according to the NAIA preseason top 25 poll, won its seventh straight game to improve to 12-6 this season. The Grenadiers recent streak of wins comes on the heels of an NAIA Baseball National Championship appearance in 2017.
 
FIRST INNING SPARK
Milligan jumped out to a quick lead with five runs in the top of the first inning of game one. Clayton Conner had the biggest hit of the inning as he drove home Cameron Harper and Jascanel Ferreras with a triple to right field. It made it 3-0 before IU Southeast had recorded the first out of the game. Bailey Russell followed in the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly to score Conner making it 4-0. Juan Jasquez rounded out the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single.
 
IU SOUTHEAST CHIPS BACK
By the end of the fourth inning, IU Southeast had made it a one-run game, then the Grenadiers surged into the lead with big innings in the fifth and sixth. After taking the lead with three runs in the fifth, IU Southeast put the game out of reach with seven runs in the sixth.
 
IU SOUTHEAST PULLS AWAY
IU Southeast used the momentum from the end of game one to put nine runs on the board over the first three innings of game two. Milligan managed only one run during that span, and a three-run sixth inning proved not to be enough for the Buffaloes to come back.
 
GAME ONE STATISTICS
Milligan pitcher Mike Perez made the start and went the first three innings. He allowed four hits and two earned runs, walking five and striking out one.
 
Ryan Young was 3-for-3 with two doubles at the dish while Ferreras was 2-for-4.
 
GAME TWO STATISTICS
Chase Marine made the start on the hill and last only two innings, surrendering five hits and nine runs to suffer the loss. Connor Simpson, Dustin Cole and Chandler Daniels all worked out of the bullpen with scoreless efforts.
 
Ferreras was the only Buff with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a run.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan gets back into Appalachian Athletic Conference play Thursday-Friday at Truett-McConnell University. Teams are scheduled to play a single game Thursday at 2 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 12 p.m. The next home game for the Buffs is next Tuesday, March 13, against University of the Cumberlands.