Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Kentucky State baseball team split a pair of games against the Miles College Golden Bears on Sunday, Mar. 9, to wrap up a three-game weekend series. The Thorobreds fell, 9-3, in the first game but rallied to take the second contest, 9-8, in dramatic fashion.
 
Kentucky State moves to 2-18 overall and 1-4 in the SIAC. Miles goes to 7-9 overeall and 3-3 in SIAC action.
 
Game 1
In the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader, Miles used an offensive outburst in the sixth inning to complete a comeback victory for the second game in a row against KSU.
 
KSU struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when Mike Swayne hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored Kyle Clark to give the Thorobreds a 1-0 lead.
 
Miles answered in the top of the second inning when Miles' Gregory Pollet hit a 2-RBI single to put the Golden Bears ahead, 2-1.
 
KSU tied things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the second inning when Justin Cain hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Marshall Howard IV to tag up and score from third. The Thorobreds left three runners on base when Alexander Davie flew out to center to end the inning.
 
For the second day in a row, right fielder Cain made a highlight catch in the outfield. In the top of the third, Miles' Austin Freeman hit a ball that was tailing towards the right field line. Cain got a great jump on the ball and squeezed his glove for the first out of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the fifth inning, KSU went ahead 3-2 when DH Reginald Grimes II smashed a single through the left side to score Mike Swayne.  Swayne had reached base with a leadoff walk to begin the inning and was moved over after a sacrifice bunt from Josh O'Reel and a single from Howard IV.
 
In the top of the sixth inning things fell apart for Kentucky State as the Thorobreds allowed seven runs. The Golden Bears picked up five runs and took the lead at 7-3 when five straight batters were either walked or hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Head Coach Rob Henry went to his bullpen twice bringing in Cody Pfaadt before going with Joe Dotson Jr. who picked up the final two outs. With the bases loaded Dotson allowed a single against the first batter faced and then a sacrifice fly extended the Miles lead to 9-3 before a groundout finally ended the inning for the Thorobreds.
 
KSU put two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't capitalize and Miles earned the 9-3 win in game one.
 
Josh Dunn (0-6) was saddled with the loss after going 5.1 innings, allowing just three hits but seven earned runs. Dunn walked four and hit three Golden Bear hitters while picking up three strikeouts.
 
Justin Langdale (1-0) earned the victory for Miles after pitching a seven inning complete game. Langdale allowed eight hits but just three earned runs. He struck out seven KSU batters and walked five.
 
Game 2
In the second game, the teams went back-and-forth early
 
Miles got on the scoreboard first, scoring on a passed ball to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
 
The Thorobreds got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Mike Swayne smashed a double to the centerfield wall that brought home Alexander Davie, tying the game at 1-1.
 
Kentucky State opened things up in the bottom of the second inning, taking a commanding 4-1 lead. Justin Cain drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Reginald Grimes II who had reached on an error to start the inning for KSU. Kyle Clark then grounded out to second base but junior shortstop Paul Simon was able to score. Alexander Davie then stepped up to the plate with one out and hit a deep sacrifice fly to center that allowed Marcus Jackson to tag up and score from third.
 
Miles got one back in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly that pulled to the Golden Bears to within two at 4-2 heading into the bottom of the inning.
 
The Golden Bears added another run in the top of the fourth when an error by KSU leftfielder Alexander Davie allowed Miles' Joey Pollet to score from first.
 
In the bottom of the inning Davie picked his second sac fly RBI of the game with a fly out to centerfield that scored Jackson and extended the KSU lead to 5-3.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning Davie picked up three more RBI when he smashed a 3-run homerun over the right field wall that pushed the Thorobreds lead to 8-3.
 
Miles pulled off another improbable rally in the top of the seventh inning. After the Golden Bears loaded the bases, Head Coach Rob Henry moved Josh O'Reel from third to finish off the game. In the first batter he faced, O'Reel allowed a single that scored Jaelen Gilkey. An error by substitute third baseman Michael Marsh allowed another run to score, cutting the KSU lead to 8-6. The Thorobreds had what appeared to be the final out of the game when MC's Austin Freeman popped up to shallow right. Miscommunication led to the ball dropping in between three KSU players and another Golden Bear run crossing the plate. A single through the right side by Justin Langdale finished off the rally and the teams entered the bottom of the inning tied, 8-8.
 
After each team went scoreless in their half inning the Thorobreds went to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning looking to end the contest. Cain hit a single to leftfield and was able to advance to second base after the leftfielder struggled to locate the ball. The Golden Bears made a pitching change and Kyle Clark came to the plate with the winning run on second base. Clark hit a slow roller to the third baseman who was caught in between plays. He eventually threw the ball to first but Clark had beat the throw and Cain was rounding third. Miles first baseman Dylan Shelton gunned the ball home but Cain was able to avoid the tag and touch the plate to secure the Kentucky State walk-off victory.
 
Next Up
The Thorobreds hit the road for a doubleheader against the University of Indianapolis on Wed. March 12 in Indianapolis, Indiana.