Softball season ends in AAC Tournament defeat to Point

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (April 27, 2022) – The Milligan University softball team led for most of the afternoon but lost 2-1 to Point in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament elimination bracket on Wednesday afternoon. The Buffs led 1-0 through five innings, but a pair of runs for the Skyhawks in the bottom of the sixth were the difference in the ballgame.

Milligan ends its season at 23-15 while Point advances to Thursday with a 32-19 record.

The top of the Buffs' lineup wasted no time scoring the game's first run in the top of the first inning. Grace Jones led off the game with a bunt single and advanced to third on a double by Katie Cronin. Jones scored on a groundout by Hanna Taylor to give Milligan an early 1-0 edge.

In the bottom of the first, a walk and bunt put runners on first and second for the Skyhawks with nobody out, but Erin Forgety got the next three batters to fly out, pop out and fly out to end the inning.

The Buffs left a runner on second in the third and stranded a runner on third in the third as Forgety logged clean innings to keep Milligan ahead 1-0.

The Skyhawks walked and singled with two outs to put runners on with two outs in the fourth, but Forgety logged a key strikeout to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Point loaded the bases with nobody out with a pair of singles and fielding error. After a force out at the plate for the inning's first out, Point tied the game with a base hit into right field and took a 2-1 lead with a single up the middle. A lineout to Jones turned into a double play to end the inning with only a one run margin.

In the seventh, the Buffs went down in order and fell 2-1.

Milligan managed three hits in the game off the bats of Jones, Cronin and April Alvarado. Forgety allowed three hits over five scoreless innings.