Seventh inning rally sinks Softball against No. 15 Cumberlands

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 13, 2022) – The Milligan University softball team led No. 15 Cumberlands from the first inning until the seventh, but a six-run rally by the Patriots sank the Buffs in a single game at Anglin Field on Wednesday.

Milligan plated three runs in the bottom of the first. Grace Jones led off the game with a triple off the right field wall. Katie Cronin doubled home Jones and scored along with April Alvarado on a double to the left field fence by Hanna Taylor. The Buffs had runners on second and third with one out, but a lineout and strikeout ended the frame.

Cumberlands led off the second inning with a single, but Erin Forgety coaxed a pair of foul outs and one punchout to keep the runner stuck on first. The Patriots notched a two-out bunt single in the third but the runner was thrown out by Taylor attempting to steal second to end the frame.

The Buffs put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the third, but could not build on their 3-0 lead.

The Patriots opened the fourth with back-to-back base hits. A groundout put runners on second and third with one out. Alvarado made a leaping play on a line drive to rob a Cumberlands hit and Forgety picked up a key strikeout to end the inning.

A single, walk and sacrifice bunt had Patriots on second and third with two outs in the top o the fifth. Forgety got Cumberlands' third batter to fly out to Cronin in left to finish the inning.

Cronin doubled to leadoff the home half of the fifth and advanced to third on a grounder to second. She scored on a wild pitch to give the Buffs a 4-0 edge.

Forgety got the Patriots to ground out to third, second and back to the pitcher as she kept Cumberlands scoreless in the sixth.

Cumberlands used a pair of errors and a pair of doubles to bring the score to 4-3. A stolen base and walk put runners at first and third with nobody out before the Patriots cranked a three-run homer over the left field fence to lead 6-4.

The Buffs went down in order in the seventh as Cumberlands secured the series sweep of Milligan with a 6-4 win.

Forgety was tagged with a tough-luck loss after keeping Cumberlands off the scoreboard for six innings.

Cronin doubled twice, scored a pair of runs and drove in one. Taylor went 2-4 with a double and two RBI.

Milligan hosts Truett McConnell next Tuesday in the Buffs' regular season finale.