March 10, 2008

                Dayton, TN—The Lions earned a conference split with the visiting Milligan College Buffaloes on Monday afternoon in Dayton thanks to an outstanding pitching performance from Joey Mohler. The Lions junior tossed a complete game 5-hitter in game one, leading his team to the 6-1 victory. Milligan rallied in game two, pushing 5 runs across while limiting Bryan to one run on a solo homerun by Brad Starnes.

                Mohler was dominant all afternoon in a performance the Lions have long been anticipating. Making his third appearance of the year, the big right-hander kept the Buffloes confused all afternoon, using a strong fastball and a devastating change-up to strike out 4 and post 8 scoreless innings. Mohler’s only miscue came in the top of the 3^rd inning when he surrendered a solo homerun to Milligan lead-off hitter Dallas Crouch. Mohler regained composure after the homerun and allowed only two more hits over the next 6 innings.

                The Lions gave Mohler a cushion to work with, behind 2-hit days from Michael Kent, Matt Hicks and J.D. Davis. Senior DH Brad Starnes was 1-4 at the plate, but drove in a team leading 3 runs.  The biggest blow came on a 2 strike, 2 out single to right by Starnes which plated 2 Lions to extend the lead to 4 in a four run 7^th inning. With the lead in hand, Mohler returned to the hill in the top of the 9^th and retired the Buffaloes in order.  In the victory, the Lions defeated reigning AAC Pitcher of the Year Nathan Fritz, scoring 5 runs over his 7 innings of work.

                Lions Pitching Coach Taylor Hasty was thrilled with Mohler’s performance and had the following to say about the righty, “This was our biggest performance of the year by far. We needed someone to step up and get us a win in conference and Joey answered the call today. He had his best stuff working and it showed. He was down in the zone all day and mixed in that great change up which set him up to be successful. I’ve been waiting for this from Joey for a while now and I think today he definitely took a step in the right direction.”

                Game 2 was a different story for the Lions who, after banging out 10 hits in the opener, struggled against soft tossing Milligan starter Michael Dillow. The Buffaloes jumped on Bryan starter Adam Polston early, scoring 3 runs in the second and chasing the freshman right-handed hurler from the game. Daniel Zimmerman came on in relief of Polston and surrendered 2 more runs over the next 2 innings. The Lion bats remained cold, as Dillow kept them off balance all day with a great changeup. Bryan’s only offense came in the 4^th inning on a solo homerun by Brad Starnes over the wall in right center. 

                Bryan Head Coach Joel Johnson had the following to say, “We played two good ballgames today. Pitching definitely carried the day for us. It was great to see Joey throw so well today, as we’ve been looking for a breakout performance from our pitching staff over the last few weeks. We need performances like this so that our pitching staff will push each other and continue to improve. Michael Kent had a great day for us at the plate, setting the tone early and providing the kind of leadership we need. I’d like to take two from Berry tomorrow before we head into spring break.”

                Bryan would put two men on base in the bottom of the 7^th and threaten to score, but Buffaloes’ closer Lucas Henderson came on and retired the next 3 hitters for the victory. The loss drops the Lions to 9-12 on the year, and 1-3 in AAC Play. Bryan will now head to Rome, GA on Tuesday to take on the Berry College Vikings in a non-conference twinbill. First pitch is scheduled for 5 PM.