MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Baseball) – In a tough opening weekend, the Shawnee State baseball team dropped two games Saturday afternoon, 2-0 and 5-4, as the Bears ended the weekend 0-4 in a four-game series with Milligan College at Anglin Field.
The Bears received another solid start on the hill in game one, this time coming from Cody Strayer (JR/Worthington, Ohio). Strayer finished with six inning pitched, allowing seven hits, two runs (one earned), while walking two and striking out three. He finished with the loss however, as Buffs' starter Josh Peterson went the distance for the shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out eight.
SSU's two hits came from Connor Wilson, who finished 1-for-3, and Drew Haislop (SO/Oak Hill, Ohio), who went 1-for-2 in the contest. Leadoff hitter Matt Dvorscak (FR/Whiting, Ind.) also drew a walk to wrap up the only three baserunners for the Bears in the game.
Milligan grabbed a run in the opening inning, as Sam Tarlton opened the game with a walk. Edwin Soto followed with a single and, following a fielder's choice, Tarlton scampered home on a passed ball. The Buff added their other run in the fourth inning on a Nate Clifton RBI single.
In game two – the best offensive game for the Bears in the early going – Shawnee got on the board in each of the first three innings. Connor Wilson got the scoring off with a sac fly following a Blake Maines (SO/Burlington, Ky.) double which moved Matt to third after being hit by a pitch.
After the Buff knotted the game in the bottom of the inning, SSU again scored in the second. Andrew Vanthournout (FR/Bowling Green, Ky.) opened with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a wild pitch. Alex Shears (SO/Lucasville, Ohio) followed with a single to make it 2-1.
The Buffs again responded, this time with a two-run second, but the Bears answered with two of their own in the third. Maines led off the inning with a single and Connor Wilson launched the first SSU home run of the season to left field. Once again Milligan added a run in the third, making it 4-4 after three.
After the high-octane opening innings, the pace slowed as both squads went scoreless in the fourth, and SSU was blanked in the fifth. Milligan took the lead for good with a Tarlton sacrifice fly, 5-4. The Bears would be held scoreless in the sixth and seventh as Wyatt Richardson earned his first save of the season.
Clay Tefft (FR/Wauseon, Ohio) started the game for the Bears, providing three innings of work in a no-decision. Cody Hartong (SO/Creston, Ohio) took the loss after two innings, allowing the run in the fifth inning.
Shawnee State will return to action Friday, traveling to Dayton Tennessee for the Bryan College Invitational. The Bears will play a doubleheader with Madonna University on Friday, beginning at 11 p.m., before taking on Cornerstone University in a twinbill on Saturday.
