Pioneer Baseball Extends Winning Streak to Five Games with 4-1 Win Over Milligan

Milligan, Tenn. – The Spartanburg Methodist College baseball team extended its winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over host Milligan on Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers scored twice in the eighth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth to secure the win.

SMC (7-13) collected six hits from five different players, with third baseman Elijah Franz leading the effort by going 2-for-4. The top three in the batting order—Franz, Matt Smith, and Jarian Pinckney—each scored a run and stole a base. Parker Winfield and Leo Lopez contributed one RBI apiece to bolster the offense.

Milligan (14-7), which began the season receiving votes in the NAIA national poll, was limited to five hits as five Pioneer pitchers combined to strike out eight batters. Wyatt Heidle led the Buffaloes with two hits.

With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth inning, Matt Smith reached scoring position after a walk and a stolen base. With one out, Pinckney reached first on a throwing error, allowing Smith to hustle home from second and put the Pioneers back on top. Pinckney then stole third, and after a walk to Dario Astudillo, Winfield drove Pinckney in for the second run of the inning.

In the ninth, the Pioneers picked up an insurance run on an RBI double by Lopez.

SMC will next travel to Laurinburg, N.C., for a three-game series against St. Andrews. The Pioneers defeated the Knights 15-3 in seven innings on February 4 in Spartanburg.