MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The (RV) Milligan University baseball team was going for a Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) sweep on Saturday afternoon, as the Buffaloes hosted the Montreat College (N.C.) Cavaliers for a single nine-inning contest on Anglin Field to close out the three-game series that MU took the first two games of on Friday. Strong pitching and timely hitting led the Buffaloes to a perfect weekend, notching a 6-1 win on Senior Day.
Early in the game, the Buffaloes jumped in front. Three walks by MC pitching in the bottom of the first gave
Nick Iezzi an opportunity to drive a two-out, two-run double to right-center field. That knock drove in
Gaven Jones and
Cade Kalehuawehe to make it 2-0 in the infant stages of the tilt.
In the bottom of the second, Milligan added on, as a pair of doubles by
Landon Lutterman and
Reagan Smith put runners at second and third with no outs. Then,
Nick Moss bounced an infield single to shortstop, driving home Lutterman to make it 3-0. Then, with Smith at third,
Braxton Baird delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 4-0 after two innings.
The Cavaliers picked up their first and only run of the game on a two-out bloop single into left-center field, which cut the deficit to 4-1 after two-and-a-half innings.
After Baird doubled and Jones singled in the bottom of the fourth, Kalehuawehe hit a hard line drive that was caught by the center fielder, but Baird came across to score the Buffaloes' fifth run on the sac fly, making it 5-1 after four full.
Milligan added another in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out rally that included a Jones single, a steal of second base and a Kalehuawehe RBI single through the left side of the infield. The 6-1 MU lead would stick until the contest's conclusion, as the Buffs finished off the series sweep.
The Buffaloes' roster totaled 10 hits in the victory, as Lutterman led the way with a 3-for-3 day, while scoring a run and walking once. Jones (2-for-3, 2 BB, 3 SB, 2 R) was the lone hitter with two knocks on the day, while Iezzi (2B), Baird, Moss and Kalehuawehe all drove in runs with their single hits. Smith was responsible for the other base hit, which was a two-bagger.
A strong start for
Jonah Ward (6 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K, BB) earned him his fifth win of the campaign, as he is now 5-1 on the year.
Cole Wessel (2 IP, 2 H, 4 K) and
Devin Gutierrez (IP, 2 K) got the Buffaloes to the finish line and helped them win their 31
st game of the season.
Milligan (31-7, 17-4 AAC) will now look forward to doing battle with the Johnson University (Tenn.) Royals in Knoxville on Tuesday, April 7, as the non-conference midweek tilt gives the Buffs a chance to face the No. 5-ranked team in the nation and a conference competitor coming down to the conclusion of the 2026 regular season.
