Miles entered the seventh inning with the lead in both games of its season-opening doubleheader against Shorter. But the Golden Bears started the 2020 campaign with two consecutive losses, 6-4 and 4-3, to the Hawks on a cold, overcast Saturday at historic Rickwood Field. Starting pitchers Zavian Caldwell and Matthew McDonald delivered leads to the bullpen and Kody Long was solid at the plate in his Miles debut but it was not enough to keep the Golden Bears from dropping two to open the season for the first time since 2015.

Game 1 - Shorter 6, Miles 4

Miles struck quickly in the first inning. Grey Humphries reached on an error and scored on a Presston Hope sacrifice fly by Shorter quickly got the run back on a solo home run from Kaleeq Brannigan to open the second. But that was all the Hawks could muster against Caldwell, who allowed just five hits and struck out six in five innings of work. He would leave the contest with a 4-1 lead when the Golden Bears tallied three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Gage Humphries had the big hit, a 2-run single that scored Long and Cody Hamilton that broke the 1-all tie.

But once Caldwell left the game, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. James Owen gave up two runs in and retired just one batter in the six. Will Cantey (0-1) got him out of the jam but couldn't escape trouble in the seventh. With one out, Brannigan homered again to tie the game. Back-to-back doubles by Bailey Gerstner and Justin Guyton put the Hawks ahead for good and ended the day for Cantey, who was charged with three earned runs in the loss when Guyton ultimately scored. Miles went down in order in the bottom of the seventh against Shorter reliever Coleton Barnes (1-0), who pitched three perfect innings to get the victory.

Game 2- Shorter 4, Miles 3

McDonald, making his second career start, traded zeros for four innings with Shorter starter Chad Davis, in his first career outing. But in the fifth, the Hawks got consecutive doubles from Luis Acevado and Nate Butterworth with two out to get on the board. Then, in the sixth, they scored again with two outs without getting a hit. Three walks (one intentional) had loaded the bases against McDonald. On a pickoff attempt at second, Justin Barnes raced home from third. Miles shortstop Destin Davidson fired home and the throw beat the runner but Hope could not hold on as when applied the tag and Barnes scored for a 2-0 Shorter advantage.

Those were the only blemishes on the day for McDonald, who allowed just three hits and struck out five in six innings of work. Miles put him in position to win when.it scored three times off Davis (1-0) in the bottom of the sixth. A RBI single by Hope scored Davidson. Long hit a ball deep to right center to score pinch runner Cole Edwards to tie the game and he would score on a sacrifice fly by Hamilton to give the Golden Bears the lead.

But that lead would be short lived. Long came in to get the save but couldn't close the door. A one-out walk opened the floodgates as pinch runner Ivan Nunez stole second and third base on consecutive pitches.another walk and stolen base put runners on second and third and the Hawks would cash in on a sacrifice fly by Barnes to tie the game. Another walk and advance to second base on defensive indifference set the stage for the winning run to score. Michael Avendano hit a grounder to Gage Humphries at third base with a chance to get out of the inning tied. But instead of throwing to first, Humphies went to make the tag play on the runner at second. While they got the out, it was not before Aaron Reardon raced home with the go-ahead run.

Miles still had one more chance in the bottom of the seventh against reliever Kevin Ludden. The Golden Bears would load the bases with one out but Jacob Bisharat would strike out swinging and Jeffrey Wright would pop out on the infield to deliver the save to Ludden and the doubleheader sweep to the Hawks.

UP NEXT -  Shorter and Miles will complete their three-game series with a nine-inning contest on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.