Bryan gets better of Softball

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 13, 2024) - On the first day of back-to-back Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheaders, the Milligan softball team dropped a pair of games to the visiting Lions of Bryan College (Tenn.), while scoring just a single run in the 14 innings of action.

The opener of the afternoon ended with a 6-0 shutout for the Lions, while the second battle produced the same six-run deficit at the game's conclusion, 7-1. Over the course of the day, the Buffs managed five hits, with two coming in game one, and the three others in the latter tilt.

The Buffaloes fall to 12-17 overall and 10-12 in the AAC with the defeats.

Milligan does not have much time to dwell on the results, as they travel south to play at No. 24-ranked Reinhardt (Ga.) on Sunday afternoon in Waleska.

Game 1 - Bryan 6, Milligan 0

Bryan scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run homer, followed by three more tallies in the second on a two-run triple and an RBI single. They would cruise on to the sixth, in which they scored another run on a double to center.

That would end up being more than enough for the Lions to topple the Buffaloes in game one, as Milligan was held hitless until the seventh inning. Mia Grassee and Haley Vigil tallied singles in the final frame, while Layney Loyd walked. Unfortunately, the squad left the bases loaded, and the battle ended in a 6-0 shutout for the visitors.

Game 2 - Bryan 7, Milligan 1

Not much would change for the Buffs in game two, as they could not tally an extra-base hit, yet again. The Lions had a solo homer and an RBI single in the top of the first, making it an identical 2-0 deficit to game one after the top of the first for Milligan.

The scoring would cease until the fourth when another solo shot made it 3-0 for Bryan. The Buffaloes would tally their first hit of the contest in the bottom of the fourth, as Grassee led the inning off with a single to left. The squad could not get her in, though, as she was caught attempting to steal second.

Bryan scored another run on an error in the top of the fifth, while Milligan tallied another leadoff single from Alexis Brown in the bottom of the fifth, but they still could not scratch anything across.

Another solo home run in the top of the sixth for the Lions made it 5-0, before the Buffs were finally able to break through with a run-scoring single to center field by Maggie Johnson, scoring Kylie Blevins.

Two more runs from Bryan in the top of the seventh were followed by a three-up, three-down inning for the Milligan offense in the bottom of the seventh. The game would end with a 7-1 score on the board in favor of Bryan.