Red hot Buffs win ninth straight game
Katie Cronin tallied her ninth multihit game, sixth three-hit game, and third four-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 in game one and 4-for-5 in game two, to lead the Milligan University softball team to two wins over Montreat Wednesday on the road. Cronin gave the Buffaloes a game-winning two-RBI single in a 3-2 win in game one; the Buffs followed with a 9-5 win in game two.
MONTREAT, N.C. (March 10, 2021) – Katie Cronin tallied her ninth multihit game, sixth three-hit game, and third four-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 in game one and 4-for-5 in game two, to lead the Milligan University softball team to two wins over Montreat Wednesday on the road. Cronin gave the Buffaloes a game-winning two-RBI single in a 3-2 win in game one; the Buffs followed with a 9-5 win in game two.
The wins brought Milligan's winning streak to nine and kept the Buffs perfect atop the Appalachian Athletic Conference at 11-1 (6-0 AAC). They also improved to 4-0 against Montreat this season.
Game One | Milligan 3, Montreat 2
Cronin delivered a two-RBI single with two out in the seventh to help Milligan complete a late rally. The inning started with the first two put out before Bailey Cantrell singled and Grace Jones doubled to put runners on second and third in a 2-1 ballgame. Jones twice faced the last strike of the game.
Cronin's single went up the middle to score both runners and give Milligan a 3-2 lead.
Milligan's other run came in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly from Kate Pendleton, scoring Jones.
Montreat scored its two runs in the fifth – on a Milligan error – and sixth – on a two-out single. Erin Forgety went five strong innings with five hits, one unearned run, one walk and one strikeout. Kendyl McCollister picked up another win in relief as she closed out the last two innings with three strikeouts and only one hit.
Game Two | Milligan 9, Montreat 5
Milligan found itself in a 3-0 hole after the first inning but was quick to put the second game away. Karsten Miller singled in a run to get the Buffs' scoring going in the third, then back-to-back doubles from Cloee-Anna Merritt and Cronin tied the game 3-3.
This was followed two innings later by a six-spot the Buffs put up to take a 9-3 lead. Merritt doubled for the second time in as many at-bats, then a walk, Savannah Nocera two-run single and Allee Griffith two-run double helped the Buffs surge well into the lead.
Behind Cronin's four-hit effort, Nocera and Merritt also produced multiple hits, going 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively. Both players drove in two runs and scored two runs.
Merritt made the start inside the circle and went the first four innings with four strikeouts. She picked up the win with Kesney Brown going the last three innings of relief striking out three.
National numbers
Cronin's seven hits on the day brought her season batting average up to .737, tops and over .100 points higher than anyone else in the NAIA who has played more than two games. Lainey Mays is No. 5 nationally in runs scored per game, and Forgety and Brown both rank in the top 40 for total runs allowed.
Up next
Milligan heads to Columbia Saturday for an AAC doubleheader against the Koalas. It continues their 12-game road swing, as the Buffaloes will not return home until Saturday, March 27, for Brenau.