Miles dropped both games of a doubleheader to Christian Brothers, 4-3 and 10-4, Sunday afternoon at historic Rickwood Field. In the opener, the Golden Bears (2-5) wasted a solid pitching effort from Zavian Caldwell and several early chances to break the game open. In the nightcap, Miles held a 3-run lead over CBU (2-4) and needed six outs to earn a split and win the series before things fell apart.

GAME 1 - CBU 4, Miles 3

The final inning saw Miles nearly complete a comeback from a 3-run deficit. Christian Brothers added two runs in the top of the seventh to open a 3-run lead and starting pitcher Jonathan Baldelli (1-1) was cruising towards a complete-game victory. The Golden Bears would put two runners on with one out but after a Bryan Baker strikeout, Destin Davidson came to the plate as the tying run.

Davidson, who was 2-for-3, picked up two quick strikes but before he got a chance to complete his at-bat, he was ejected from the game by the home plate umpire. Ryne Benson, who had not taken an at-bat all season, had one strike to make something happen...and that he did, lacing a 2-run double to left that scored Gage Humphries and Roderick Ransom. Benson stood on second as the tying run when Haywood Spencer hit a squibber to the hole between first and second. He looked like he would reach and possible score Benson from second. But CBU second baseman Garett Reason-Kerkhoff got to the ball and flipped to Baldelli covering first just in time to preserve the victory.

Miles had chances early, putting runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings but failed to score. In the first and third innings, Davidson found himself on third bases with one out but Kody Long and Jacob Bisharat both failed to get the run in each time.

Caldwell, for the most part, was brilliant. He allowed just two unearned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings. The only inning he allowed multiple runners was in the second. But that is where the Bucs pushed across the runs against him. Aided by a throwin error by third baseman Gage Humphries on a force play at second, CBU got a RBI single from Travis Cole and another run came across on a passed ball for a 2-0 advantage. The Golden Bears got one of the runs back in the fourth. With runners on first and third, Ransom bounced into a fielder's choice but it scored Grey Humphries to cut the deficit in half. 

GAME 2 - CBU 10, Miles 4

The Golden Bears led 4-1 going into the sixth inning and starter Will Cantey (0-2) looked in control, allowing just three hits in five innings and none after the second. But the wheels came off in the sixth as the Bucs scored eight times to put the game out of reach.

The CBU rally started with a walk, one of five given up by Cantey in 5 2/3 innings of work. The Bucs then followed with three straight hits and a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 4. Two more singles sandwiched one of Cantey's five strikeouts, but it was an opposite field two-run single to right by Larry Hubbard that put CBU on top for good. a wild pitch and a hit batter later, and Cantey was pulled, but not before the last two runners scored, leaving the lefthander on the hook for all nine earned runs.

Miles strung together three straight hits with two outs in the first. Bisharat, Grey Humphries got on in front of Cody Hamilton's run-scoring single for a 1-0 lead. CBU would tie the game in the top of the second but the same combo that got the Golden Bears on the board in the first struck again in the third. Bisharat singled and Humphries doubled to right. Hamilton would single to drive them in and scored on a RBI single from Gary McCord to give the team what was then a comfortable three-run cushion.

UP NEXT: Miles hosts Lynn in a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.