The last two weeks have shown both the highs and the lows that come with a baseball season. John Melvin University traveled to Pensacola Florida for their first conference matchup with Lighthouse Christian College. The Millers swept the four-game conference series before heading to Brenham Texas to play the current #1 team in the country and defending National Champions in Blinn College. Despite playing two very close games, the Millers would drop all four games of the series and fall to an 8-6 overall record.
The conference series with Lighthouse Christian was a dominate performance by the Millers in all four games, winning 7-1, 13-0, 18-3, and 22-6. The Millers recorded 18 extra-base hits and a staggering 53 hits across four games on the weekend. The Millers offense was lead by Trevor Durr who hit four doubles and a triple on the weekend and Payden Wysong who recorded five hits on the weekend, including two doubles. JT Teuton and Josh Guidroz each recorded their first career home-runs in the series.
Pitching was also lights out for the Millers, lead in Game 1 by Ace pitcher Gavin LeBlanc who broke his own school record for strikeouts in a single game by punching out 14 Lighthouse hitters en route to 6 innings of two hit baseball. The Millers pitching staff followed that up with their second shutout of the season in Game 2, with Junior Bryce Oquinn, Sophomore Noah Berg, and Freshman Brian Ellendar combining to go seven innings, five hits, and zero runs in the victory. Senior Troy Morel picked up his first win of the season in Game 3 with four innings of one run baseball and the Millers gave a Johnny Whole-Staff effort in Game 4, allowing just four earned runs.
Despite playing two very competitive games, the series against Blinn College did not go the Millers way, losing 4-1, 13-0, 5-1, and 8-4. Game 1 of the series saw Gavin LeBlanc throw his first complete game of the season while taking his first loss of the season. LeBlanc surrendered four runs in the 3rd inning and zeros the rest of the way en route to a six inning, four run performance while punching out six Blinn batters. LeBlanc currently leads the nation in strikeouts. Faceing an Arizona State bounceback on the mound, the Millers offense was not able to get anything going in Game 1, scoring one run on seven hits. The Millers were lead by shortstop Connor Pleasant with the lone multi-hit game and scoring the lone run for the Millers. Despite the loss, the Millers outhit Blinn in the game.
Game 2 was all Blinn from the start. Facing a projected first round draft pick in next years MLB draft, the offense was not able to get anything going against the powerful right handed pitcher. Running the fastball up to 98mph, the Blinn starter finished off a five inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts. The Miller pitching staff surrendered 13 runs on just seven hits in Game 2.
Game 3 was a tight affare all the way throughout, holding at a 0-0 tie game into the 6th innings before Blinn was finally able to get on the board. Facing a Texas A&M bounceback on the mound, the Miller offense fought hard through the game, working their way to 6 walks and 3 hits, but were not able to break through on the scoreboard until the 7th inning with a Sammy Maddox RBI. Junior pitcher Bryce Oquinn was the leader on the mound, carrying a shutout into the 6th inning against the powerful Blinn offense , picking up 3 punchouts along the way and pitching his way to and instant classic of a game.
Facing an Oklahoma commit on the mound, the Miller offense broke through in Game 4 of the series, taking the lead in the top of the 1st inning and picking up nine hits in the game. The offense was lead by multi-hit games by Connor Pleasant and Andrew Ashby. Pleasant also picked up a double in the game, as well as Payden Wysong ripping a double. While the Millers pitching staff was not able to hold the Blinn offense down in Game 4, surrendering ten hits and eight runs, Freshman Bebe King was a bright spot for the Millers. King worked the final 2.2 innings of the game, allowing just one hit, zero runs, and punching out four batters.
John Melvin will next take the field on Friday in Mobile Alabama as they begin a three game series with Mobile University. The Millers will then play a midweek doubleheader against the #9 team in the country at William Carry University.
