Softball wins ninth straight in split with No. 15 Truett
Milligan University punched its ticket to the NAIA Softball National Championship and moved closer to the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season title with a split doubleheader against No. 15 Truett McConnell Saturday at Anglin Field. Milligan won game won by the run rule, 10-2, before having its nine-game winning streak ended with a 5-3 loss in game two.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 15 Truett McConnell
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
|
Milligan
|
2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 15 Truett McConnell
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
|
Milligan
|
1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 17, 2021) – Milligan University punched its ticket to the NAIA Softball National Championship and moved closer to the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season title with a split doubleheader against No. 15 Truett McConnell Saturday at Anglin Field. Milligan won game won by the run rule, 10-2, before having its nine-game winning streak ended with a 5-3 loss in game two.
The Buffaloes (27-5, 20-4 AAC) now fully control their own destiny toward winning the AAC regular season, as a sweep over Brenau in Monday's finale would give them the league title outright. A split Monday would make Milligan and Truett (28-12, 21-5 AAC) co-champions.
Game One | Milligan 10, Truett 2
Erin Forgety threw five strong innings, and the Buffaloes were all over the bases. After scoring two runs in the first, one on a wild pitch and another on a passed ball, Grace Jones and Katie Cronin both hit RBI singles in the second inning to help put Milligan ahead 5-0. Kate Pendleton and Savannah Nocera hit back-to-back doubles in the third inning to help score two.
Truett cut into the deficit with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. One of those runs was earned, ending Forgety's stretch of 31.1 innings pitched without allowing an earned run. Forgety quickly got out of the inning, though, with a pair of flyouts, and Milligan ended the game with three runs in the bottom half.
Lainey Mays had the final RBI of the game, driving home Morgan Overholser on a sacrifice fly to deep left. It also brought home Grace Jones on a throwing error.
Forgety's final line was five innings, five hits, two runs, one earned run, no walks and three strikeouts.
Game Two | Milligan 3, Truett 5
Milligan held an early lead after Jones won a 10-pitch at-bat with a triple to right field, then Cronin countered the long at-bat with a first-pitch RBI groundout to make it 1-0. Jones and Cronin would both end the game 2-for-4, although the Bears swung the lead in the top of the third and fourth, the latter for the final time.
In between Truett's taking of the lead, Jones and Cronin helped Milligan score twice in the third inning. Jones hit a one-out single, then Cronin hit an RBI double, again on the first pitch, scoring Jones from first. Pendleton gave the Buffs the lead later in that inning with a bases loaded walk to make it 3-2.
Up next
Milligan hosts Brenau Monday at 4 p.m. in the final games of the regular season. The Buffaloes can clinch the AAC regular season with one win and will win the league outright with a sweep.