JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps baseball team secured two of three wins against LeTourneau University over the weekend. The Majors bettered the YellowJackets, 11-4 on Friday. The team split a doubleheader with a 9-8 victory and narrow 17-16 defeat in seven innings at Twenty Field on Saturday.
Game 1: Millsaps 11, LeTourneau 4, W
Senior Bradley Pelle (two RBIs, stolen base, walk, run) and junior
Mason Morgan (RBI, two doubles, walk, two runs) both batted 3-for-4.
Senior Gray Berry was 2-for-3 in hitting. He also added two RBIs, a run, stolen base and a pair of walks.
Graduates David Abbadessa (two RBIs, walk, run),
Case Page (run, RBI) and
Jackson Ware (run, walk) all recorded a hit against the YellowJackets.
Senior Nick Tarantino pitched 5.2 innings in which he only allowed two runs and one walk. The Covington, La., native was terrific throwing a career-high 14 strikeouts.
Redshirt junior
Will Norris struck out three batters, only allowing one earned run in 3.1 innings pitched.
Millsaps responded quickly in the bottom of the second inning as Morgan doubled to left field. Ware reached on an error and allowed Morgan to touch home plate for an unearned run.
The Majors continued to take control as Abbadessa walked and Bounds reached first base on a fielder's choice to bring Ware home and put Millsaps ahead, 2-0.
Pelle then singled to right field and Abbadessa scored to continue the Majors edge, 3-0.
Moments later, Berry scored Abbadessa with a single to center field. Pelle stole home on an unearned run to further the Majors' lead, 5-0.
In the top of the third inning, LeTourneau finally got on board following two runs and a pair of hits to make it 5-2.
However, a costly error by LeTourneau's second baseman put junior EJ Ousley on first base.
Abbadessa's single to right field scored Ousley moments later to continue Millsaps' hot streak and create a 6-2 margin.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Millsaps continued to put on a show as Morgan singled to left field to get on first base.
Bounds walked and Pelle singled to left center to score Morgan. Berry then singled to bring Bounds to the final base. The Majors sent a message with an 8-2 lead.
LeTourneau then scored a run in the top of the seventh inning.
However, in the bottom of the eighth inning Millsaps continued their command with four additional tallies.
Both Berry and Ousley walked before Page singled to left field, pushing Berry past home plate.
Millsaps furthered their advantage to 10-3 as Morgan doubled to score Ousley.
Abbadessa later reached on a fielder's choice as Page touched home base to give the Majors their last RBI.
LeTourneau scored one run in the final inning as Millsaps secured a convincing 11-4 victory on Friday.
Game 2: Millsaps 9, LeTourneau 8, W
Ousley finished 3-for-4 alongside four RBIs, a run scored, a stolen base and one walk. Berry batted 3-for-5 with three runs and stole a base.
Ware registered 2-for-3 in hitting, while adding two walks, two steals and an RBI.
Pelle (two runs, two walks) and senior Evan Scott (run, RBI, walk) both recorded a hit.
Junior Stewart Bonnecaze pitched 3.1 innings to start the game. Freshman John Montour saw 3.2 innings on the mound where he struck out two batters with zero walks. He also became the winning pitcher with two earned runs against.
Freshman Carston Williams and graduate Jackson Hood (save) both pitched an inning for the Majors.
At the bottom of the first inning, Millsaps raced ahead of the YellowJackets for an early 4-0 lead.
Bounds was hit by a pitch, Pelle walked and Berry singled to left field to load the bases. Scott singled through the left side to plate Bounds.
An Ousley walk scored Berry to continue the Major stretch to 2-0.
Moments later, the Majors grounded into a double play but Berry was able to reach home plate.
A Ware single to center field scored Scott to stretch the Majors' margin to 4-0.
The YellowJackets stung the Majors in the top of the fourth inning with four hits and four runs to tie the matchup at 4-4.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Millsaps reclaimed their lead as Abbadessa tallied a sacrifice fly to scored Page from third.
In the top of the seventh, LeTourneau tallied a two-run homer to take a 6-5 lead.
Ousley's answered back in the bottom of the seventh with a double down the right-field line to score Berry and tie the game back up.
Abbadessa later walked with the bases loaded to help Ousley score and put Millsaps back on top in a close matchup, 7-6.
The Majors added much needed insurance runs in the eighth inning. Pelle opened with a double before Berry singled to right field and stole second base.
Ousley then doubled to score both Berry and Pelle to extend the team's edge to 9-6.
LeTourneau added two runs in the ninth, but Hood struck a batter out looking with a runner on third to secure Game Two of the series, 9-8.
Game 3: LeTourneau 17, Millsaps 16 (7 inn.)
Wil Wood recorded his 300th career strikeout with the third game's first out on Saturday. He tossed 4.1 innings with five strikeouts.
Pelle (home run, four RBIs, two walks, pair of runs, stolen base) and Morgan (three RBIs, run, walk) both registered two hits. Berry (three runs, two walks), Page (three runs, triple RBIs, two walks) and Ware (three RBIs) all registered a hit against the YellowJackets.
In the bottom of the first inning, Pelle erupted with a home run to get the fans on their feet to score Bounds and help the Majors take a 2-0 lead.
Millsaps continued their momentum by loading the bases. A Page fielder's choice made it 3-0.
Moments later, Ware singled around Page and Scott to close out the first with Millsaps ahead, 5-0.
LeTourneau responded with a run in the second and third innings to shorten their deficit to 5-2
In the bottom of the third inning, Millsaps loaded the bases once again. Ware's sacrifice fly to left field scored Ousley.
Bounds then saw first base after four balls, bringing Page to home.
A single by Pelle gave the Majors two more runs when Abbadessa and Morgan reached home plate. Millsaps closed the third up, 9-2.
The YellowJackets scored another run in the top of the fourth before a balk by LeTourneau's pitcher scored Ousley with the bases loaded, increasing Millsaps' lead to 10-3.
Once more the YellowJackets added a run in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Morgan singled down the left-field line, directing Berry and Ousley and Berry to score. The hot streak continued Millsaps' advantage up to 12-4.
At the top of the sixth inning, LeTourneau answered back with six runs off five hits, cutting the Majors lead down to 12-10.
Another balk by LeTourneau scored Bounds from third in the sixth. Page then singled to send Pelle and Berry home.
Morgan then doubled to left center to score Page as Millsaps pulled back ahead, 16-10.
In the top of the seventh inning, LeTourneau attacked the Majors with seven runs off three hits and an error to capture the lead at 17-16.
With loaded bases in the bottom of the seventh, Millsaps tried to respond with two walks and a hit by pitch.
The YellowJackets struck out two batters in the final moments to earn a 17-16, comeback victory.
The Majors will be back in action on Thursday to face Alma College at Twenty Field, beginning at 6 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College baseball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
