KINGSPORT, Tenn. (May 4, 2023) – On Thursday, the No. 4 Truett McConnell University baseball team faced No. 9 Milligan College in an elimination game in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bears took an early lead that was backed by a stellar pitching performance from Tyler Gray to advance in the AAC Tournament (6-3). TMU rises to a record of 34-15, 18-10 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Bears sparked their momentum early with walks from Tanner Griffith and Jordan Kenty to move runners into scoring position. A clutch Caleb Williams double to left field allowed TMU to score their first run of the day (1-0). A well-executed ball from Jake Edwards pushed another run across, paired with a Jakob Karvelas hit by pitch to load the bases (2-0). An Ethan Roberts single to left field followed by an Andrew Johnston double tacked on three more runs for the Bears to increase the deficit (5-0). The Buffaloes responded in the top of third scoring one run on two hits (5-1). The bottom of the third saw a Griffith single and capitalized on defensive errors to move into scoring position, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kenty to add on another run (6-1). The Buffaloes were persistent and scored their final two runs of the day in the top of the fifth, but Gray's strong pitching performance kept the Buffaloes at bay, giving TMU a 6-3 victory. 

LEADERS
Edwards led the way offensively, going 2-2 at the plate with one RBI while Roberts was 1-3 with one run and one RBI. Johnson was seen going 1-5 with two RBIs while Griffith was 1-2 with two runs.

Pitcher Gray threw a complete game, recording two strikeouts and only allowing seven hits.

UP NEXT
The Bears remain in Kingsport, Tenn. for the third round of AAC Tournament play in an elimination game. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.