JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps baseball program battled into extra innings with the top-ranked team in the country, but came up just short to No. 1 Birmingham-Southern, 6-5 in 10 innings at Twenty Field on Sunday. The teams split a pair of games the day before.
Starting pitcher junior
Jackson Hood was terrific holding the Panthers one earned run in 5.2 IP. He yielded four hits, three walks and struck out three batters.
Senior
Sam Pitre batted 2-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, two doubles and walked once. Classmate
Branyan Bounds (3-for-5) posted a Major career high of three hits, while adding an RBI, double and stolen base. Graduate
Chris Hart finished 2-for-5 with a double and run scored as well.
The Majors were looking to claim their first series over the top-ranked team in NCAA Division III since 2006. Saturday's 2-0 win in Game Two gave Millsaps its first victory over the No. 1 team dating back to 2017.
Millsaps (15-14, 6-6 SAA) jumped on the Panthers in the bottom of the first inning on Saturday. Hart led off the contest with a single and was plated home off a Pitre RBI double. Pitre would reach third and eventually score from a wild pitch, giving the Majors a 2-0 advantage.
Birmingham-Southern (27-3, 10-2 SAA) threatened in the top of the second with two runners in scoring position with one out. Hood tallied a strikeout swinging and pop out to escape the jam.
The Panthers would score once in the top of the third to cut the deficit in half. Millsaps responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Pitre walked with two outs and stole second. Junior
Case Page followed by singling up the middle to bring home his teammate.
Defensively both teams tightened up until the Majors added a tally in the bottom of the sixth. Junior
Jackson Ware powered a triple to center and was brought home by freshman
EJ Ousley.
BSC would tie it at 4-4 in the top of the eighth off a two-run and solo home run.
Neither team scored until the top of the 10th inning when the Panthers tallied a bases-loaded, RBI single and scored a second run off a wild pitch.
The Majors wouldn't give up the fight when Pitre began the bottom of the 10th with a double down the right-field line. Bounds later singled home Pitre with two outs, making it a 6-5 contest. With runners on second and third BSC was able to end the game on a strikeout.
Millsaps will now play the next eight games on the road, beginning Wednesday at Huntingdon. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. with live video and stats available at gomajors.com.
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