Baseball gets DH split, series win over Milligan

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Though late-inning struggles prevented a sweep, the Union baseball team was able to clinch an Appalachian Athletic Conference series win against Milligan.

The Bulldogs, who won the series opener 11-10 Friday, earned a 9-4 win in the opening game of a Saturday doubleheader, then jumped out to a 6-2 lead in game two before the Buffs rallied for a 9-7 win behind a five-run fifth inning in the finale.

Union is now 17-9-1 overall and 8-6 in the AAC.

GAME ONE

Union starter James Raffauf had six strikeouts and held a 4-0 lead through six innings before the Buffs put together a rally in the seventh. Having already cut the deficit to 4-1, Milligan had the bases loaded with nobody out when reliver Dylan Hetzler entered the game.

But on just two pitches, Hetzler and his defense cut the rally down. On the first pitch, Logan Hullette hit a ground ball to first base. After stepping on first, Hazel Martinez through wide trying to prevent Jack Sutton from scoring. With the ball at the backstop, Brandon Marello attempted to score from second, only for catcher Angel Mendoza to track the ball down and throw home to Hetzler, who tagged Marello out.

Ensuing batter Angel Lobo then grounded out to second.

The Bulldog offense responded by extending the lead in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Logan Romasanta. David Mitchell then led off the eighth inning with a home run before Angel Mendoza put the game away with a three-run home run, his 15th of the season.

Mendoza, who is top-three in several national offensive stats, was 3-for-3 and reached base in all five of his at bats in the opener.

Luke Powell also homered in the fourth inning, while Mitchell and Powell both had two hits.

GAME TWO

Two-run singles by Martinez and Luke Pell highlighted a five-run fourth inning that put the Bulldogs ahead by four runs, but they couldn't hold the lead as the Buffs rallied back in the ensuing at-bat.

Up 6-3 with the bases loaded and in seemingly good position to get a second out, Union was done in by viscous wind gusts that blew across the field all afternoon, as a dropped fly ball led to a run that cut the lead to 6-4. Next batter Hullette then hit a bases-clearing, three-run double that put Milligan ahead the rest of the way.

Down 9-6 in the final inning, the Bulldogs didn't fade easily as Martinez recorded his third hit and third RBI of the game to make it 9-7. Romasanta then lifted a fly ball to right field that got caught in the wind and sailed all the way to the warning track, only to be hauled in by a lunging Caleb Berry for the final out.

Mendoza went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and finished the day with a .900 on-base percentage.

The Bulldogs continue a 10-game homestand Tuesday, hosting Midway in a non-conference game at 3 p.m.