February 8, 2008

Box Score 

                Dayton, TN—The Bryan College baseball program began its annual three game set with Rio Grande on Friday night and, in keeping with recent tradition, played a nail biter, with the outcome decided by only one run. The competition is always good between the two teams and Rio Grande, a team from Ohio who opens its season at Senter Field each year, is another NAIA team which competes in a conference with talent comparable to the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

                As the Redmen took the field under amazing conditions for a February evening, there was excitement in the air as fans packed the stands and the hill behind home plate in eager anticipation of the Lions’ first real challenge of the season. On the hill for Bryan was sophomore hurler Ben Young, who came in as a mid-year transfer last season to make a big impact for the Lions.

                Rio Grande struck first, scoring runs in each of the first two innings. Young pitched well, but the Redmen got some cheap hits, and the Lions did nothing to help themselves defensively, committing 5 errors on the night. Bryan stayed silent offensively until the 5^th inning when a Will Newman single plated the Lions’ first run of the contest. Young would leave the Redmen scoreless in the top of the 5^th before freshman Ryan Keylon would step to the plate and give the Lions a 2 run lead with a long 3-run bomb to centerfield.

                The homerun energized the Lions, but Rio Grande answered with three runs of their own in the top of the 7^th inning to take the lead once again. The Redmen pushed two more runs across in the top of the 8^th to extend their lead to 3, 7-6. Once again it was a big blow delivered by a freshman for the Lions as Steven Kilgore hit a pinch hit 2-run homerun deep over the scoreboard in right center. It was the second homerun of the year for the big slugger from Sequatchie County high school, and it was needed to keep the Lions in the ballgame.

                Rio Grande added one more run in the top of the 9^th to take an 8-6 lead, and the pressure was on the Lions to mount their first come from behind win of the young season. Bryan managed to push one across on an RBI single by Will Newman, but Rio Grande hurler Austin Wright would settle down and induce the Lions into a pop-up and a groundout to end the threat and the game. Final Score: Rio Grande 8- Bryan 7.