Buffs fall to Bryan in AAC doubleheader

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (March 31, 2022) – The Milligan University softball team was defeated by Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Bryan college in a doubleheader matchup on Thursday evening.

Milligan moves to 18-8 (13-6 AAC) while Bryan climbs to 14-13 (10-3 AAC)

Game 1 – Bryan 2, Milligan 0 

Neither team scored in the first two innings, despite the Buffs advancing a runner to third base in each frame. Katie Cronin tripled to left field with one out in the first, but a pop out and strike out left her stranded 60 feet away. April Alvarado legged out an infield single in the second, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch with two outs, but the Buffs were unable to come up with a base hit to bring her home.

After an error to open the game, Milligan starting pitcher Erin Forgety sat down the next nine-consecutive Bryan batters through the third inning. 

Bryan knocked back-to-back base hits to open the fourth inning. A ground out to second moved the runners to second and third with one away. The Lions traded a run for an out with a successful squeeze play to take a 1-0 lead. A Milligan error allowed another run to score before Forgety induced a pop out to end the inning with the visitors leading 2-0.

Bryan's Annalise Wood retired nine batters in a row before finally issuing a two out walk to McCoy Hensley in the bottom of the fifth, but a pop out ended the frame.

Grace Jones battled with wood in a 13-pitch at bat to lead off the sixth but eventually went down swinging as Wood struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth.

The Loins put runners on first and second with one away in the seventh. Forgety escaped with a force out and a strikeout.

Kate Pendleton singled to lead off the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate for the rest of the inning, but a fly out and pair of strikeouts ended the game.

Cronin, Pendleton and Alvarado had Milligan's three hits on the day. Forgety took the tough-luck loss with two runs (one earned) on four hits allowed in seven innings. She struck out six and walked none on the day.

Game 2 – Bryan 7, Milligan 3 

Bryan opened the game with three base hits in a row to take a 1-0 with runners on first and second with nobody out. Cloee-Anna Merritt worked out of the jam with three-straight groundouts to limit the damage to a single run.

The Lions smacked three more hits and took advantage of a pair of errant throw by the Buffs to add three more runs in the top of the second to lead 4-0.

Two singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Milligan in the bottom of the second, but a strikeout and flyout kept the Buffs off the scoreboard.

Milligan struck back in the bottom of the third with run-scoring singles off the bats of Hanna Taylor and Neelee Griffith. The Buffs had the bases loaded with two outs, but left the runners stranded and went to the fourth down 4-2.

Cronin jacked a home run over the right-center field wall in the fourth to trim the deficit to 4-3.

A leadoff walk and an error led to two runs in the top of the fifth for Bryan as they extended their lead to three runs (6-3). The Lions added one more in the top of the seventh as the Buffs were unable to rally in the bottom half as Bryan went home with a 7-3 win.

Milligan was led offensively by Taylor who went three-for-four with an RBI. Hensley and Cronin combined for four hits, two runs scored and an RBI.

Milligan hosts Point in an AAC doubleheader on Saturday.