MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Miles came into the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College World Series as one of the top hitting teams in NCAA Division II. The Golden Bears continued to show their offensive firepower in winning their first two games, collecting 25 hits - 10 of them for extra bases - and scoring 23 runs in taking down Bluefield State and Albany State at Riverwalk Stadium. 

Clifton Orr has hit home runs in both games, Jacob Bisharat has six RBI, and Kody Long and Kolton Easterwood have provided enough starting pitching to put Miles (27-23) within two wins of taking home the Black College World Series crown.

Miles 8, Bluefield State 4

Bluefield State won the inaugural Black College World Series in 2021 but Miles scored early and often in taking the opening contest. After allowing a run in the top of the first, the Golden Bears put their first three runners on in the bottom of the inning. Bisharat came through with his 20th double of the season to drive in two, and Michael Archie added a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 advantage.

Miles continued to tack on runs from there. James Bitner had a RBI single in the second, then scored on a passed ball in the fourth. Orr mashed his seventh home run of the season in the fifth - a massive solo shot over the wall in left and onto the train tracks - for a 6-2 advantage. Bisharat would score on a passed ball in the seventh and Peyton Caron would add a RBI single in the eighth to close out the scoring.

On the mound, Easterwood pitched into the sixth, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) to pick up his eighth win of the season. Will Cantey allowed just one hit and struck out five over 3 2/3 innings of relief to notch his third save of the season.

Miles 15, Albany State 10

Just four days after surrendering nine early runs to Albany State in an elimination game at the SIAC Championship, Miles returned the favor in jumping out to a 10-0 lead before holding on late and advancing to the Division II bracket championship.

With one out in the first, the Golden Bears went to work. Bisharat knocked in the first run with a single and Archie followed with a two-run double. The big blow, though, came from Orr, who went deep for the second straight game. His 3-run blast staked Miles to a 6-0 lead before the Golden Rams even came to the plate.

Miles wasn't finished at the plate. Bisharat would hit his team-high 11th home run - a 3-run rocket - in the second to increase the lead. When Eli Snelson added a run-scoring single in the sixth for a 10-run lead, it looked as if Miles would steamroll Albany State. Long was rolling along as well, having allowed just one hit and striking out five through the first five innings.

But Albany State took advantage of a Miles error with two outs in the sixth to score five unearned runs to get back into the game. Things still looked good in the top of the eighth as Archie brought home two with a double to push the Golden Bears lead to 12-5. But Long started to run out of gas in the bottom of the inning and, with the help of another defensive miscue, the Golden Rams cut the deficit to 12-10 and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. But Drew Shackleford, on in relief, got the final out to preserve the lead.

The Golden Bears tacked on some big insurance runs in the ninth. Bitner drove in another run with a single and a bases-loaded walk to William Johnson sandwiched a run that scored on a passed ball that pushed the lead back to five runs. Tyler Allen nailed down the ninth inning to preserve the win for Miles and Long (11-2), who pitched 7 1/3 inning and allowed just two earned runs while striking out seven.