Pitching Shines as Miles Sweeps Lane
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Needing to close out the season with a few conference wins to secure a spot in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, Miles went right to work against Western Division foe Lane, earning a 10-3, 8-1 doubleheader sweep over the Dragons Saturday at Rickwood Field.
Ernest Harris and Justin Langdale had big days at the plate for Miles (14-24, 8-8 SIAC) while Austin Pate and Christopher Elias did not allow an earned run in stifling Lane (0-20, 0-16 SIAC).
Miles jumped on Lane starter Robert Love, scoring seven times in the first two frames. Jimmy Brown Jr. drove in three run, two coming courtesy of a second-inning double. Langdale drove in two runs in the first and Harris had stolen bases in each inning.
The Dragons came right back in the third. Kent Fuller and Blair Dukes each had RBI in a three-run third to close the deficit to 7-3. But the Golden Bears got those runs back in the fifth. A two-run double by Harris and a sacrifice fly by Keland Smith closed out the scoring.
Pate picked up the win for Miles. He was seemingly pitching out of trouble all afternoon but went the distance, allowing nine hits but just three unearned runs.
The nightcap saw the Golden Bears go on the offensive again but it was the pitching of Elias that kept the Dragons at bay. The freshman allowed just four hits and one unearned run, which came in the third inning after Miles had already taken a 2-0 lead, and six strikeouts without walking a batter.
Langdale, who had a RBI triple in the first, added a two-run double in the third to extend the lead. The Golden Bears broke the game open in the fifth with three runs, two unearned and the other on a run-scoring single by Harris. Miles added one more run in the sixth on a RBI single by Justin Shadix for the final margin.
Both teams close out the weekend set with a single nine-inning contest Sunday at 1 p.m.
