KINGSPORT, Tenn. - CIU baseball took part in day two of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament on Thursday after an opening-round win over Milligan the day before. However, CIU would face a much more formidable opponent in the form of No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan (TWU) on day two. The Rams handed the Bulldogs two losses earlier in the season, but it would be a different story on Thursday. CIU (29-25) fell 15-6 to TWU (49-4) as the Rams picked up their first loss in the double-elimination AAC Tournament.
How It Happened: CIU would get down 6-0 to the Bulldogs through the first three innings before the Rams put together a spirited comeback. Grant Bodison singled and then was followed by both Joshua Hernandez and Gabe Austin getting on base. Kody Trujillo then singled through the gap to left field, scoring Bodison as Hernandez, then scored on a miscue by the left fielder. Down 6-2 heading into the 5th inning, the comeback continued as Carter Willis recorded a base hit. Bodison then smacked a two-run home run over the left-field fence as the Rams cut the lead to 6-4. Unfortunately for CIU, the Rams would only score twice more in the contest on an RBI triple from Hernandez and sac fly from Robert Bell in the 8th inning. The Bulldogs would demonstrate why they are the nation's best team outscoring CIU 8-2 through the final four innings as CIU fell 14-6.
Game Notes:
Up Next: CIU will take on eighth-seeded Truett McConnell in an elimination contest on Friday at 12 PM; if the Rams win that game, they will once again face Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday night at 7 PM.
