KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Milligan University baseball's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament run hung in the balance on Saturday morning in a win-or-go-home battle against the No. 1 seed Reinhardt University Eagles. In a spirited contest, the Buffaloes were unable to squelch the RU offense on the late innings en route to a 6-5 loss.
The Buffaloes struck early, nabbing an RBI single from Angel Lobo to drive in the pinch runner, Skyler Saunders with two out. Milligan led 1-0 at that point.
Reinhardt struck back in the bottom of the second on a solo homer to right field, knotting things at 1-1.
The Eagles would then take their first lead with the bases loaded and two outs on the fourth. They ran a straight triple steal and were able to convert to make it 2-1.
Milligan had their biggest inning of the contest in the top of the sixth, when they scored four times. Lobo began things with an RBI Texas-league single down the right field line to score Trey Massengill. Then, with the bases loaded, Tank Hansen drew a walk to force home Braxton Baird. Finally, the big blow came off the bat of Gaven Jones, who hammered a two-run double to the left field fence to score Lobo and Brody Melton. It was a 5-2 Buffs lead after five-and-a-half frames.
That wouldn't be enough to keep the Eagles down, though, as they chipped away each remaining inning. A single run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth made it 5-3.
Then, in the bottom of the seventh, RU scored one on an RBI single to left-center field. That made it 5-4.
Another run would score in the bottom of the eighth, as the Eagles tied the tally on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded at five apiece.
Reinhardt proved to be too much to handle offensively, while the Buffaloes stalled against a relief arm in the final three frames. The Eagles ended up with a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth to earn a spot in the championship game, 6-5.
Milligan's seven hits came predominantly off the bat of one man, Lobo, who delivered a classic 4-for-4 performance at the dish with two runs batted in. Jones delivered the two-RBI double in the sixth while Baird and Cade Kalehuawehe delivered the final two hits for the squad.
Cord Babcock began the game on the bump and performed fabulously for five frames. He allowed two runs on four hits and amassed six strikeouts against a potent RU lineup. The bullpen was able to limit damage, but could not quite shut the Eagles down. Joe Ducharme pitched two frames and allowed two runs on four hits, while Jacob Poe pitched the eighth inning and allowed a run on two hits. Lastly, Austin Maxey came in for the ninth but allowed the game-winning single.
It is not necessarily the end to the Buffaloes' season, as similarly to 2024, Milligan's fate will be decided by the NAIA Selection Committee. The Buffs will be looking for their second at-large bid in as many seasons and will learn if they have been selected on Wednesday, May 7 at 5 p.m. If it is the end of 2025 for the squad, it was another stellar showing. The squad boasted a stronger 19-11 AAC record this season in comparison to 18-12 in their NAIA Opening Round season last year. The Buffs will be proud of their performance, no matter the decision of the committee on Wednesday.
