The Milligan baseball Buffs were defeated Bryan College 2-8, on Friday, March 30th. The very next day, Saturday, March 31st, charged forward with a newfound fighting spirit. Saturday’s two subsequent wins were also meaningful to head coach Nathan Meade, as it took his career coaching stats to 300 victories.
The Buffs rushed out of the gate on Saturday, scoring two runs in the first inning, one point in the third inning and three points in the seventh inning. Junior Cameron Harper and senior Jascanel Ferreras had some of the key hits in the first game, and after Bryan retaliated in the fourth inning with two points, pitcher and freshman Garrett Hartley helped ensure that Bryan could not score for the rest of the game. The game ended with a Milligan win of 6-2.
The second game that day was even closer with a final score of 5-4, Milligan still bearing the lead. Harper and Ferreras were again key players in getting an early lead, along with senior Bryan Soto and junior Garrett Dalton. Milligan brought a 4-2 score in the third inning. With a final push by senior Brandon Laboy, Milligan finished with its 5-4 final score against Bryan.
Meade was extremely proud of his team, saying, “Everybody did their job. If each individual does their job out on the field, we are all going to like the outcome. Bryan and us are usually 50-50, and they have been having a good year; they are the No. 9 team in the country.”
Meade also stated that these two wins are a big encouragement to the team.
“We have the talent, but we have also caught some tough breaks.” Meade says that games like these can truly reveal what a team is made of.
When asked how he felt about his new 300-win record, Meade downplayed his triumph.
“It’s a number to me, yet it is still humbling”, he said. “Milestones like this make me think about all the kids and teams I’ve worked with. It’s not the number that counts ; it’s the relationships you’ve built along the way.”
