ROME, Ga. -- The Miles baseball team opened the 2024 season with a three-game series at Shorter and despite battling in every game, came out on the short end of a sweep, The Hawks took a 13-7, nine-inning win on Friday before sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday, 4-0 in nine innings and 7-6 in an extra-inning affair. Brandon Leroy had seven hits in the series, Max Davenport and Trey Rutledge each got on base six times, and Nick Copen and Isaiah Jordan each drove in three runs.

GAME 1 - Shorter 13, Miles 7

The Golden Bears fell behind early, giving up nine runs in the bottom of the first but immediately began chipping away. Davenport drove in Leroy with a single and Jordan crushed a 3-run homer in the second. A sacrifice fly by Camden Matthews in the third and RBI from Jordan Pearson and Mason McClammy in the fourth drew Miles within 11-7. Mason Kirby allowed just one run in four innings of relief and the Golden Bears had runners on base in three of the final four innings but could not put any more runs on the board. Kolby King had a hit and scored twice and Kaleb Priest had two hits for Miles.

GAME 2 - Shorter 4, Miles 0

Starting pitcher Trent Jones (0-1) allowed just two runs and four hits over five innings but Miles had just five hits (only one for extra bases). The Golden Bears put runners in scoring position in three different innings, including one at third with two outs in the fifth, but never had two consecutive hits in suffering their first shutout of the season. Jackson Lindsey went 2-for-3 with a double.

GAME 3 - Shorter 7, Miles 6 (8)

Miles was on the cusp of taking the doubleheader nightcap on Saturday in what would have been a thrilling come-from-behind win. But the Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the seventh and scored the game-winner the next inning.

Shorter twice opened two-run leads but Miles erased both deficits. Copen drove in a run in the fourth to tie the game at 2 and two more in the sixth to even the game at 4. The Golden Bears took their first lead of the weekend in the seventh. McClammy walked and Landon Whitehead followed with an infield single. A sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position and after an intentional walk to Davenport to load the bases, McClammy would score on a wild pitch and Whitehead would cross the plate on a passed ball to put Miles ahead 6-4.

Austin Douglas had rolled through his first two innings of relief but was in trouble in the seventh. An error put the leadoff hitter on base and ultimately two unearned runs would score on sacrifice flies to tie the game at 6. After Miles went down in order in the eighth, Dayveon Lavender (0-1) came out to pitch the bottom half of the frame. He got the first two hitters out but walked Kody Krause, who then stole second and third. He would score on a single by Jacob Pajer to give the Hawks a walkoff win. Leroy went 3-for-3, Copen was 2-for-3, and Rutledge had a hit, scored twice and stole a base for the Golden Bears.

UP NEXT - Miles will host Auburn Montgomery in its home opener on Wednesday. First pitch is at 2 p.m.