Buffs sweep Brenau, secure AAC title
Neelee Griffith hit a two-run home run in game one, Cloee-Anna Merritt pitched a three-hitter in game two, and Milligan University secured its first Appalachian Athletic Conference softball title since 2012 with a sweep of Brenau, 6-5 and 4-2, Monday at Anglin Field.
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 19, 2021) – Neelee Griffith hit a two-run home run in game one, Cloee-Anna Merritt pitched a three-hitter in game two, and Milligan University secured its first Appalachian Athletic Conference softball title since 2012 with a sweep of Brenau, 6-5 and 4-2, Monday at Anglin Field.
The Buffaloes (29-5, 22-4 AAC) entered the day needing only one win to hold a share of the title, but with the sweep they stand alone in first place and will head to next week's AAC tournament as the outright No. 1 seed.
AAC history | Postseason facts
Milligan's most recent AAC titles came in 2008, 2009 and 2012. The 2008 season also saw the Buffaloes win the AAC tournament while the 2012 season marked Milligan's last 30-win campaign.
With last week's split against No. 15 Truett McConnell, Milligan also automatically qualified for the NAIA Softball National Championship. This marks the third time (2016, 2017) in the last five full seasons Milligan qualified for the national tournament.
Merritt pitches Buffs to game-two win
Merritt pitched one of her best games of the year in the regular-season finale, allowing only three hits and no walks while striking out two on the way to her 12th win of the season. She gave up a run in the first and an unearned run in the fourth but otherwise limited the baserunners, facing only one over the minimum outside of the scoring innings.
Meanwhile, Milligan got on the board and took the lead for good in the first inning. April Alvarado hit an RBI double to make it 1-1, then Kate Pendleton followed soon after with a two-RBI single to make it 3-1. Griffith hit an RBI single to left in the fifth inning to pad the lead and round out Milligan's scoring.
Pendleton finished the nightcap 3-for-3 with two RBI's while Grace Jones (2-for-4) and Katie Cronin (2-for-3) also finished with multiple hits.
Buffs bats overpower Brenau in game one
Game one featured a similar start as Brenau took the lead in the top of the first, but the Buffaloes were similarly quick to take the lead for good. After gaining the lead, Cronin started a third-inning surge with a 10-pitch at-bat she won with a single up the middle. An Alvarado walk later, Pendleton hit a two-RBI double to make it 4-1, and Griffith followed two pitches later with a two-run homer.
Erin Forgety struck out eight in the win and battled tough in the late innings as Brenau chipped away at the Milligan lead. Merritt closed the final door on the Golden Tigers with her first save of the season. Cronin led the Buffs at the plate with a 2-for-3 game featuring a walk and two runs.
National numbers
Cronin, the reigning AAC hitter of the week, continues to lead the nation in batting average and hits per game. Today, she went a combined 4-for-6 to improve her average to .586 with an average of 2.0 hits per game. She rides a 13-game hitting streak and has 10 multihit games in the last month.
Other offensive numbers include Jones who ranks No. 7 nationally in triples (six), Griffith who ranks in the top 30 in home runs per game and home runs (nine), and Cronin who is No. 43 with 1.0 RBI's per game.
Forgety, the reigning AAC pitcher of the week, ranks in the top 40 in four defensive categories, most notably ERA (1.83) and opposing batting average (.212).
Up next
Milligan heads to the AAC tournament as the No. 1 seed. The tournament is set for Monday-Friday, April 26-30, at Brickyard Park in Kingsport. As the top seed, Milligan will play the first game on Tuesday, tentatively set for 11 a.m. The AAC will announce the full bracket and start times soon.