The Miles baseball team came into Tuesday night's exhibition game against the Birmingham Barons dreaming of a way to upset the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. But while the score of the six-inning contest (11-0) left little doubt that the Barons were a professional team tuning up for their season opener, it was difficult to find a Golden Bear who did not feel that this was a winning experience for the program.

"It was a great experience for us," said junior catcher Roderick Ransom. "I love that Miles College gave us a chance to play against a pro team. This was great for us."

The players had been talking about the opportunity to play in this game for weeks. They had to use wood bats for the contest but it did not keep them from putting on a good show - at least in batting practice. Miles President Dr. George T. French, Jr. threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Golden Bears were able to play in front of their biggest crowd of the year. Matthew White pitched a 1-2-3 first inning for Miles before the Barons started to go to work.

A single run in the second off Jacob Schuster was followed by a 3-run homer in the third off Andrew Datcher. A seven-run fifth put the game well out of reach. The Golden Bears got their hacks in against the Barons but were only able to get two hits - a bunt single by Dalton Roberts and an infield single down the third base line by Peyton Logan.

While the scoreboard was not in favor of the Golden Bears, it was not lost on Miles head coach Ty Roberts that this may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of his roster.

"It's a big learning experience. It's not something every kid gets to do," Roberts said. "So it's a blessing that we got this opportunity against the Barons. We appreciated it. I think my guys enjoyed it and it gives them something they can talk about the rest of their lives."

Besides just playing baseball, the team genuinely enjoyed being a part of the event. Before and after the game, players signed autographs for kids and seemed to enjoy the atmosphere - and each other - throughout the night.

"We got to see some balls hit hard, make some plays, get the crowd going," said infielder Gage Humphries. "It was a great atmosphere to be in tonight."