A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: A capsule look at the 2019 team:

• 2019 Record: 5-3, 1-2 ECC
• Head Coach: Tom Kilgore (21^st year at Milford)
• Top Hitter: Senior Calvin Hunter (.484 BA/7 XBH/11 RBI/2 SB)
• Top Pitcher: Senior Jake Becker (2-0/0.68 ERA/10.1 IP/8 SO)

THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s schedule for the upcoming week:

• Monday, April 8 vs. Withrow, 5:00 p.m.
  • 2019 Record: 2-5, 0-3 ECC
  • Top Hitter: Junior Kejuan McDaniel (.556/1 XBH/6 RBI/5 SB)
  • Top Pitcher: Senior Winston Combs (2-1 record/3.89 ERA/9 IP/21 SO)
  • Last Meeting: 2019; Milford 22, Withrow 0
• Wednesday, April 10 vs. West Clermont, 5:00 p.m. & Friday, April 12 at West Clermont
  • 2019 Record: 4-4, 1-2 ECC
  • Top Hitter: Senior Gavin Pitts (.542/4 XBH/7 RBI/7 SB)
  • Top Pitcher: Senior Brayden Meadows (0-0 record/0.00 ERA/7.1 IP/3 SO)
  • Last Meeting: 2018; Milford 7, West Clermont 5, West Clermont 8, Milford 6 & West Clermont 7, Milford 0

A LOOK BACK: April 1 at Kings: Kings 3, Milford 2

GAME REWIND

For the second season in a row, Kings’ Hunter Jessee sent the Knights to a walk-off win over the Eagles, this time with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10^th for a 3-2 victory. Milford struck first with a Braden Pickett RBI single in the fourth. Kings took the lead in its half of the frame, but Milford tied the game in the fifth when Calvin Hunter plated Anthony Bassano with a run-scoring double.

Milford hurlers Zach Byron and Braden Pickett both turned in outstanding efforts in the defeat. Byron struck out seven in four innings of work, allowing just a pair of unearned runs on four hits and a walk. Pickett, meanwhile, pitched four nearly perfect innings, yielding just a walk.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 3-2, 0-1 ECC; Kings: 6-1, 1-0 ECC

WP: Kellen Ingram; LP: Anthony Bassano; Save: None

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Calvin Hunter 2-5, 2 2B

Braden Pickett 2-3; 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H

Zach Byron 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 SO

Kings

Max Palmieri 3-5

Hunter Jessee 2-4, walk-off RBI single

Kellen Ingram 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 SO

April 3 at Milford: Kings 7, Milford 5

GAME REWIND

Kings rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh, capped by a three-run homer by Tyler Gambill, as the Knights knocked off Milford by a 7-5 score. The game was back and forth throughout with the Eagles taking their first lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the third on a perfectly executed double steal by Grant Whitaker and Calvin Hunter.

Kings tied the game a half-inning later, with Milford moving back in front in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Max Ward. After the Knights outburst in the top of the inning, Milford got the tying run to the plate in the last of the seventh. The home team got one back in the frame on a Sam Greenwell RBI double, but Kings’ reliever Daniel Herbert struck out two in a row to preserve his team’s win.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 3-3, 0-2 ECC; Kings: 8-1, 2-0 ECC

WP: Austin Scott-Mason; LP: Sam Roth; Save: Daniel Herbert

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Grant Whitaker 2B, 2 R, 3 BB

Sam Greenwell 2B

Kings

Blake Lonsbury 3-4, 2B

Tyler Gambill 3-3, 3B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

April 4 at Wright State University: Milford 4, Grosse Pointe South 0

GAME REWIND

Senior Jake Becker twirled a four-hit shutout with four strikeouts, leading Milford to a 4-0 win over Grosse Pointe South (MI) in a game played on the campus of Wright State University. The Eagles offense was keyed by Calvin Hunter who had a pair of triples.

Becker’s seven-inning shutout was the first by a Milford hurler since Aaron Miller crafted a one-hitter against Withrow on April 30, 2015.

The Eagle bats gave Becker all the support he’d need with two runs in the third, before tacking on a second pair in the sixth. Anthony Bassano led the third off with a triple and one out later trotted home on Hunter’s first of two three-baggers. Braden Pickett made it 2-0 one batter later with a run-scoring single. The sixth inning featured Hunter leading off with a triple and scoring on a Brady Sluder RBI single. Sluder would later score the night’s final run on a GPS error.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 4-3; Grosse Pointe South: N/A

WP: Jake Becker; LP: Weston Brundage; Save: None

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Jake Becker 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 SO

Anthony Bassano 3B

Calvin Hunter 2-3, 2 3B, 2 R

Grosse Pointe South

None

April 5 at Withrow: Milford 22, Withrow 0

GAME REWIND

Milford erupted for 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back as they pounded Withrow 22-0. The Eagles tallied 19 hits on the afternoon, including three each by Calvin Hunter and Adam Yoh. Hunter drove in four and scored three, while Yoh had four runs scored. Anthony Bassano and Brady Sluder each crossed the plate three times as well.

The Milford arms were equally dominant as Braden Pickett and Cam Atwell combined on a one-hit shutout. The single Tiger hit actually came with one out in the last of the fifth, one hitter before the 10-run rule came into effect. Pickett struck out six of the nine hitters he retired, while Atwell fanned three.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 5-3, 1-2 ECC; Withrow: 2-4, 0-3 ECC

WP: Braden Pickett; LP: Tyaris Stevenson; Save: None

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Anthony Bassano 2-3, 3 R

Brady Sluder 2B, 3 R, 2 BB

Mason Harvey 2-2, 2 RBI

Calvin Hunter 3-3, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI

Sam Greenwell 2B

Braden Pickett 2B; 3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 SO

Grant Whitaker 2 RBI

Hunter Frank 2-3, 2 R

Jonathan Baker 2 R

Adam Yoh 3-4, 4 R

Withrow

None

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A look at Milford’s statistical leaders:

Batting Average: Braden Pickett (.500), Calvin Hunter (.484), Anthony Bassano (.423)

Slugging Percentage: Calvin Hunter (.774), Braden Pickett (.708), Anthony Bassano (.577)

On Base Percentage: Braden Pickett (.586), Grant Whitaker (.542), Anthony Bassano (.515)

Runs Scored: Anthony Bassano (11), Calvin Hunter (9), Brady Sluder (7)

Hits: Calvin Hunter (15), Braden Pickett (12), Anthony Bassano (11)

RBI: Calvin Hunter (11), Brady Sluder (7), Three tied (5)

Doubles: Calvin Hunter/Braden Pickett (5), Sam Greenwell/Mason Harvey (3)

Triples: Calvin Hunter (2), Anthony Bassano (1)

Home Runs: None

Walks: Grant Whitaker (7), Brady Sluder (5), Three tied (4)

Stolen Bases: Four tied (2)

Wins: Jake Becker (2), Three tied (1)

Saves: Anthony Bassano (1)

ERA: Jake Becker (0.68), Braden Pickett (1.40), Calvin Hunter (3.50)

Innings: Jake Becker (10.1), Braden Pickett (10.0), Sam Roth (8.1)

Opponents Batting Average: Braden Pickett (.032), Jake Becker (.175), Calvin Hunter (.207)

Strikeouts: Braden Pickett (12), Zach Byron (11), Jake Becker/Hunter Johnson (8)

EAGLES TO TAKE PART IN SPECIAL EVENTS: Milford has been invited to participate in a pair of special events during the month of April with special ticket prices:

• Thursday, April 18: Milford will battle Simon Kenton in the Florence Freedom’s High School Showcase presented by Wendy’s. The game will take place at the Freedom’s UC Health Stadium with a 5 p.m. first pitch. Pre-sale tickets are available by clicking here and are $7 for adults and $5 for students. $2 from all tickets purchased in advance of game day will be contributed back to Milford’s athletic program.
• Saturday, April 27: The Eagles will once again take the field at Great American Ballpark, the home of the Cincinnati Reds for the Reds Futures High School Showcase. Milford will take on Centerville with first pitch set for 10 a.m. Tickets are $10 and include a ticket for Milford night at GABP on July 2.

COLLEGE BOUND EAGLES: Calvin Hunter was the first member of the 2019 Milford Baseball senior class to announce his plans for next season. Hunter has signed a national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Marshall University beginning in the fall.