MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Saturday afternoon was a busy day on the Milligan campus in athletics, and two baseball contests against the University of Pikeville Bears to decide the first AAC series of the 2026 season were a part of that. Following a disappointing loss in game one of the doubleheader in which Milligan could not string hits together, they righted the ship in game two, holding on for a one-run win to take the series by a tally of two games to one.

Pikeville started the party early, scoring four times in the top of the first frame of game one, as a RBI single, a two-run double and a sacrifice fly amounted to a commanding early advantage for the Bears.

The Buffaloes would get one of those four runs back in the bottom of the first, after Gaven Jones singled home Braxton Baird after he had led off the game with a double to right-center field.

The Bears were quiet in the top of the second, and the Buffs continued to chip away in the bottom of the inning. Brody Melton led off with a single and later advanced all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. He would then be plated by Luis Quintero on a grounder through the left side for a single, making it 4-2.

Pikeville got that run right back in the top of the third, as a RBI fielder's choice made it 5-2.

Another run would be added to the lead by UPIKE in the top of the fourth, as a RBI single made it 6-2 with five more MU at-bats remaining.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Buffaloes picked up one more tally, as a two-out double by Jones drove in Miller Spence from second to make it 6-3 in the Bears' favor.

However, it was Pikeville who scored immediately in response in the top of the sixth. Another RBI single with two outs made it a 7-3 game.

One more single-run inning was achieved in the bottom of the seventh for the Buffs, as Cade Kalehuawehe singled to bring home Spence with two out in the frame. The score sat at 7-4 with two innings remaining.

Pikeville delivered the figurative nail in the coffin with a two-out, two-run double to left field, ballooning their lead from three runs to five runs entering the bottom of the ninth.

A Kalehuawehe RBI single in the ninth with two out gave MU one more run, but that would be the last tally notched in their eventual 9-5 loss.

In a wild and wacky second game, the Bears scored three first-inning runs, yet again. A two-run double and a RBI single made it 3-0 before Milligan even picked up the bats.

The difference in this tilt was that the Buffs responded with their own three spot. Baird doubled to start the frame, and Kalehuawehe walked after him. With two on, Jones singled down the left-field line to score Baird, making it 3-1. Melton would single into right field, chasing home both Nick Moss (courtesy runner for Kalehuawehe) and Jones. It was a 3-3 tie after one.

Milligan would grab their very first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the second, when Kalehuawehe launched his first homer of the campaign, ripping one down the left-field line with Cole Hartley on base to give the Buffaloes a 5-3 edge.

For Pikeville, a single run would be added on in the top of the third in response to the round-tripper by Milligan. A RBI infield single with a runner at third cut the lead for MU to just one run.

The score remained at 5-4 until the bottom of the fourth, when Milligan erupted for four more runs, albeit heavily aided by UPIKE's defensive miscues. Kalehuawehe doubled down the right-field line to bring home Baird from second, making it 6-4. Then, a crazy play with Moss and Jones on base that was scored an infield single by Melton, was followed by two throwing errors to allow both runners to score. Melton ended up at third base at the conclusion of the play. A wild pitch would then allow him to score, making it a 9-4 game after four full frames.

In the top of the sixth, UPIKE picked up a run on a RBI groundout after a one-out triple, bringing Pikeville back to within four runs at 9-5.

Milligan erased that run in the bottom of the sixth, as a sacrifice lineout to right by Devin Gutierrez brought Melton home after he singled with one out in the inning and stole second, advancing to third on a throwing error. It was a 10-5 lead for the Buffaloes with the top of the seventh on tap.

Everything went haywire in the top of the seventh, as a hit-by-pitch, a fielding error and a RBI single made it 10-6 without an out being recorded. Then, a strikeout finally added an out, but a walk then loaded the bases with one out. After a pitching change, Pikeville had a batter reach on a throwing error but then he was thrown out at second trying to take an extra base. On that play, though, both runners at second and third came in to score, putting the score at 10-8 with the tying run at the dish. A run-scoring single made it 10-9 with two outs and a runner at first base, but then a strikeout ended the game, as the Buffs held on to the 10-9 triumph.

Melton was the biggest bat for the Buffs on Saturday, going 5-for-7 with three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base to his name. Baird (3 2B, 3 R), Kalehuawehe (HR, 2B, 5 RBI, BB, R) and Jones (2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB) all posted 4-for-8 hitting lines on the day. Gutierrez went 3-for-8 with an RBI, while no other Milligan hitter had multiple knocks.

Anfernee Fernandez struggled a bit in his second home outing of the season, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits in 3.1 innings pitched. He walked one batter and plunked three. Jack McLaury came in and did a nice job keeping UPIKE at bay, allowing just one earned run on five hits across the next 4.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Cole Wessel pitched the ninth inning and allowed two runs on three hits with two punchouts.

Game two saw five pitchers toe the slab, with Jonah Ward allowing four runs on eight hits through three innings pitched. He also struck out four hitters. Tucker Webb then entered to pitch two frames and not allow a run on two hits with a pair of punchouts. Brycen Denton tossed one inning, allowing two runs on one hit with a strikeout. Cainan Meyers allowed three unearned runs on one hit, one walk and a strikeout over just 0.1 innings pitched during the seventh. Jake Brune came away with his first save as a Buff, allowing one hit and striking out one in the final 0.2 innings.

A trip to Columbia, S.C. is next on the docket for the Buffaloes, as they will face off with the Columbia International University Rams on Friday, Feb. 20 in a nine-inning standalone contest for their first road AAC matchup of the year.

Game 1 BOX SCORE
Game 2 BOX SCORE