Runs Aplenty on Day 2 of Baseball Tournament

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The was no shortage of offense in the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Baseball Tournament as Milligan, Bryan, Reinhardt, and Tennessee Wesleyan all came out victorious.

The tournament is being played at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn.

No. 5 Milligan 11, No. 4 St. Andrew's 2

A solo home run by Anthony Guzman in the first inning kick-started a strong offensive showing by Milligan, which won a conference tournament game for the first time since 2018. Leadoff hitter Justin Green went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, while second and third hitters Josh Lail and Guzman went a combined 7-for-10 for a Buffaloes team that recorded eight extra-base hits.

No. 6 Bryan 12, No. 3 Point 7

Mark Thornhill capped a seven-run fourth inning for the Lions with a bases-clearing three-run double which helped Bryan jump out to a 12-0 lead. The Lions had more runs than hits (nine) but took advantage of 11 Skyhawk walks, including three bases-loaded free passes in the fourth.

No. 2 Reinhardt 7, No. 7. Bluefield 6

Down 7-3 entering the seventh inning, Bluefield got within a run and had two runners on with no one out, but Reinhardt relievers Andrew Herbert and Hunter Paulsen shut the Rams down the rest of the way to avoid the upset. A two-run, two-out single by Tucker Zdunich broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth and gave the Eagles the lead for good. Zdunich's hit brought home two of the five two-out runs Reinhardt scored.

No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan 20, No. 8 Montreat 10

After an uncharacteristically slow start, Livan Reinoso got the top-seeded Bulldogs on track with a dominant sixth inning. He opened the frame with an utterly monstrous solo home run to left field, then ended the nine-run inning with a three-run home run. He finished the game with four hits, four runs scored, and six RBIs.

Dan Sayre, Braxton Turner, and Carson Ford all added three RBIs apiece for Tennessee Wesleyan, which scored an additional seven runs in the eighth inning.

Montreat, which led 5-2 entering the sixth, was led by OJ Borroto (three RBIs) and Chase Bruno (two runs, two RBIs, two triples). The Cavaliers are the first team to lead the Bulldogs in an AAC Tournament game since Bluefield held a 1-0 lead in the first inning of a first-round game on May 1, 2019.

Play resumes on Thursday with four games beginning at 9 a.m.

Tickets can be purchased by clicking here. Single-day tickets are $10 per adult and $5 for students. Tournament passes are also available for $38 per adult and $18 per student.

If unable to attend in person, all games will be streamed live online. To watch, click here.

Here is the complete tournament schedule:

Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, May 3
Game 1 - No. 7 Bluefield (29-16) def. No. 10 Columbia International (21-32), 14-3 (7 innings) (BOX)
Game 2 - No. 9 Montreat (32-24) def. No. 8 Truett McConnell (25-22), 5-1 (BOX)

Wednesday, May 4
Game 3 - No. 5 Milligan (35-19) def. No. 4 St. Andrews (37-16), 11-2 (BOX)
Game 4 - No. 6 Bryan (24-24) def. No. 3 Point (25-21), 12- 7 (BOX)
Game 5 - No. 2 Reinhardt (34-19) def. No. 7 Bluefield (29-17), 7-6 (BOX)
Game 6 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan (48-5) def. No. 9 Montreat (32-25), 20-10 (BOX)

Thursday, May 5
Game 7 - No. 3 Point (25-21) vs. No. 7 Bluefield (29-17), 9 am
Game 8 - No. 4 St. Andrews (37-16) vs. No. 9 Montreat (32-25), 12 pm
Game 9 - No. 2 Reinhardt (34-19) vs. No. 6 Bryan (24-24), 4 pm
Game 10 - No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan (48-5) vs. No. 5 Milligan (35-19), 7 pm

Friday, May 6
Game 11 - Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Loser, 9 am
Game 12 - Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Loser, 12 pm
Game 13 - Game 9 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner, 4 pm
Game 14 - Game 10 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner, 7 pm

Saturday, May 7
The schedule will be finalized following the results of Games 13 and 14. If only one game, it will be played at 2 pm. If there one 'if necessary' game is needed, it will be played at 11 am with the championship game at 3 pm. If both 'if necessary games are needed, the games will be played at 11 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm.