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Milligan College
SPORTS NEWS RELEASE By Trey Williams
Scott Shealy got a two-out hit with no one on base and Dustin Price followed Will Little’s base-on-balls by scoring Shealy with a game-ending single to center field as Milligan completed a championship doubleheader sweep of Brevard at Cardinal Park with a 4-3 win around 1 a.m. Saturday morning. It was the fourth straight hit for Price, who’d tied the game at 3 with a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth. And it was the fifth hit of the doubleheader for Shealy, who had three doubles during Milligan’s 14-5 win in Friday’s opener. Shealy was Clark’s first signee when he took the Milligan job four years ago after leaving Brevard of all places, where he was an assistant under Gill Payne. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Price, a sophomore from Science Hill. “I was confident. If somebody had put a gun to my head I would’ve still said I was going to get a hit right there. “I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I’m still shaking.” Milligan (34-19) and Brevard (34-22) have had a heated rivalry since Clark’s move, and if body language is to be trusted more than diplomatic tongues, it hasn’t cooled more than perhaps one ember’s glow since Clark took a few transfers with him way back when. Brevard was looking for its third tournament title in as many years since entering the league, and Milligan was eager to exorcise a runner-up jinx that’d teased it with second-place finishes twice in Clark’s first three years. “I do like beating Brevard,” said senior Ben Whittemore, whose sheepish grin was surely also aided by his contributions to the title. A senior from Elizabethton, Whittemore moved his single-season RBI record into the 50s during Milligan’s seven tournament games this week thanks in part to a grand slam. Brevard put Milligan in the loser’s bracket with Wednesday’s 9 a.m. game. The Buffs proceeded to win five straight elimination games. And while several position players were outstanding during the week, no player was more crucial than middle reliever Rob Maynard. Maynard not only ate up innings during the battle of arms attrition, but he pitched effectively with his rather ordinary looking sidearm sinkers. “Rob really stepped up,” Whittemore said. “It seemed like he pitched every game for us.” Chad Davis, who got the final win after winning Thursday’s tough 6-5 decision against No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan, was also solid. “Our bullpen was excellent,” said designated hitter Pat Gould. So was Price when it mattered most. His 4-for-5, three-RBI championship performance also included a difficult double play he turned to thwart Brevard’s potential fourth-inning rally when the Tornado was already leading 3-0. With one out and runners at first and second, Price fielded a difficult short-hop of Caleb Hill’s grounder cleanly, stretched out to tag Andrew Allen who was on his way to third and then threw in time at first to retire Hill and end the inning. Price also doubled high off the scoreboard in left field with two outs and the game tied in the eighth, but Chris Shockley pinch-ran for him because of Price’s quadriceps strain and was promptly picked off. So Price reentered the game and utilized the hero’s stage in the ninth. “I’d been just barely missing on a lot of fastballs,” Price said. “Really, our team’s struggled all year to put everything together the same game. We’ve put it together and gotten hot at the right time of the year.” Shealy, a senior from Unicoi who virtually rewrote the Milligan record books after not getting any scholarship offers before Clark got the Milligan job, finished the doubleheader 5 for 9 with five runs and three doubles. Catcher Nathan Chandler hit three home runs during the tournament after hitting one during 27 regular-season games. Nathan Meade hit a home run and an RBI double in the opener. Shockley allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings for the win in the opener. “Obviously, it’s nice (doing it against Brevard),” Clark said. “But just winning the tournament is special. This senior class had been second twice. “This is a special group of guys. These 12 or 13 seniors took a chance on me just like I took a chance on them.” Along with Tennessee Wesleyan and Milligan, which advanced with their respective one-two finish in the regular season, Brevard qualified for this week’s NAIA Region XII tournament in Louisville. Hill went 4 for 8 with a home run and two RBIs during Friday’s doubleheader. Preston Roberts had a double and two-run home run among his three hits. ###
About Milligan College Milligan College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Northeast Tennessee, nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence in academic, social and spiritual development. The college has consistently been named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.milligan.edu or call 423.461.8719. Return to Sports News Release Page | Return to Milligan College Home Page |
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