Baseball Splits Home Opener

Baseball season is here, and Millikin is starting off strong. 

The Big Blue opened up their season on February 10 in Texas, going 1-2 with #24 East Texas Baptist University. 

They then traveled to Arkansas where they swept the competition, defeating Belhaven University twice and Hendrix College once. On their third weekend of play, the Big Blue had their first home game, splitting a double header with Benedictine University on Saturday, February 25.

Millikin started the first game strong, leading 3-0 in the fourth inning. Starting pitcher, senior Caleb Buehrle, held the Eagles to only one hit in the first four innings. At the top of the fifth, Benedictine responded with four runs. 

The sixth inning saw no runs, but the seventh opened with a run for the Eagles. Sophomore Tyler Gade scored on a hit from junior Tommy Shaw, but the Big Blue would not score again for the remainder of the game. Millikin fell to Benedictine 5-4.

The second game of the day started out slow, with no runs from either team for the first two innings. In the third, Millikin came alive with 3 RBI’s and 5 runs from various hitters. They went on another run in the fourth, scoring 6 times. Junior Drew Detmers pitched for the first seven innings, allowing no runs, six strikeouts, and two ground ball double plays. He only walked one hitter. Junior Drew Sutton pitched the eighth inning, striking out one and not allowing any hits. The ninth inning saw graduate student Christian Badorek, who also held the Eagles scoreless and struck out the final two hitters of the game.

Baseball also hosted Knox College on Sunday, February 26, defeating them 6-1 to end the weekend 2-1. The Big Blue are now 6-3 on the year, and they look to improve their record next weekend as they host the College of St. Scholastica, Coe College, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.