ALBANY, Ga. -- Miles dropped its opening contest in the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, falling 7-6 to No. 7-seed Lane Thursday afternoon at the Paul Eames Sports Complex.

The loss was the fourth straight for the second-seeded Golden Bears (23-22), who now fall into the elimination bracket to face Benedict Friday at 1 p.m. Miles led by five runs early but the Dragons (22-23) scored twice in the ninth off of closer Will Cantey (3-3) to earn the victory.

Destin Davidson went 3-for-4, scored three times, and finished a double short of a cycle. His 3-run home run in the first staked the Golden Bears to an early lead. A bases loaded walk to Jacob Bisharat in the second and error on a sacrifice bunt by Ryne Benson scored Davidson in the third to give Miles a 5-0 advantage.

But things started to unravel in the sixth. Lane scored four times off starter Jacob Schuster (7 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 7 K), the big blow coming on a two-run single by Barry Hamer. In the seventh, a two-out RBI single by Thomas Arias scored Zach Elias to tie the game at five. But Miles would get the run right back in the bottom of the frame. Davidson led off with a triple and he scored on Benson's infield single for a 6-5 lead.

Matthew McDonald put the first two runners on in the eighth but a strikeout and double play sent Miles to the ninth with a lead and turned the game over to Cantey, the SIAC Relief Pitcher of the Year. But Melvin Crayton's RBI double tied the game and a bases loaded walk to Courtney Joyner gave Lane its first lead of the contest. The Golden Bears got a one-out walk to Cantey in the ninth but Cody Hamilton hit into a double play to end the game.