JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps baseball team (14-25) was unable to hold back LeTourneau (15-22), falling 8-7 in the regular-season finale at Twenty Field on Tuesday.
The Majors combined to throw nine pitchers with a predetermined platoon strategy as the team prepares for the opening series of the SAA Tournament, April 26-27.
Seniors Clay Busby (one strikeout), Jackson Hood, Graham Harrison along with graduates Wil Wood (one strikeout) and Braden Robinson all recorded a scoreless inning each.
Sophomore Gavin Tranchina tossed the first two innings with four strikeouts against one run, two walks and two hits.
Junior Gray Berry batted 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple. He also scored two runs and stole a base. Senior David Abbadessa finished 2-for-3, adding an RBI and stolen base.
Sophomore Layne Cross scored a run and stole two bases, while graduate Robert Vassallo tallied a hit, run scored, stole a base and walked twice.
LeTourneau used two walks to open the second inning and plated the first run with a two-out single.
The Majors immediately answered for two runs in the bottom of the second frame. Abbadessa singled Vassallo from second with two outs, which was followed by a graduate Branyan Bounds bases-loaded walk.
Berry added a run in the third courtesy of a leadoff triple. He stole home when the YellowJackets' defense was focused on Vassallo's designed steal of second base.
LeTourneau knotted things up in the fifth with a pair of runs on a single and throwing error on the same play.
However, Millsaps powered back with two tallies to regain a 5-3 advantage in the bottom of the fifth. Senior Case Page doubled around Berry from second and classmate Jackson Ware brought Page home from third.
The YellowJackets looked poised for more, but Robinson snag a ball on a bounce and tagged a runner caught between third on home in the seventh inning.
The Majors scored twice more in the seventh when freshman Wes Grant singled in sophomore Will Norris. Grant then stole second and Cross managed to steal home on the same sequence, making it a 7-3 margin.
However, the YellowJackets exploded for five runs in the top of the ninth to regain an 8-7 lead. The visitors then closed the game with three consecutive strikeouts.
Millsaps next travels to Danville, Ky. to play in the SAA Baseball Championship where it will face No. 1 seed Centre in a best-of-three series. Game One begins at 5 p.m. CT on Friday with live video and live stats provided at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps baseball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
