Milligan Softball Splits with Carolina in First Home Battles of 2025

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan University softball squad continued their 2025 campaign on Friday afternoon with a rescheduled doubleheader against Carolina University (N.C.) on Anglin Field. The games were originally set to be completed in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday, Feb. 15, but impending inclement weather forced the games to be moved. The Buffaloes dropped the first game of the day, but stormed back from down by four runs in game two to salvage a split on the afternoon.

An early lead was snatched by the Buffs in the first inning, as three tallies crossed the plate. Hannah Bates ripped a single through the left side of the infield to move Maggie Johnson to third base, and she subsequently scored on a fielding error by the left fielder on that play. Two more runs came across on a fielding miscue with the bases loaded, as Jaylyn Halliburton grounded a ball through the legs of the shortstop to bring home Alana Parsons and Bates. After one, MU led 3-0.

Carolina cut into the deficit slightly in the third, as a throwing error by the Buffs allowed a runner to come in with two outs, making it a 3-1 game.

An inning later, the Bruins tacked on three additional runs, as a two-run single and a run-scoring double gave CU a 4-3 advantage.

The Buffs did take their lead back in the bottom half of the fourth, scoring a run on a double steal by Ma. Johnson and Hadley York, as well as a sacrifice fly by Bates to drive in Ma. Johnson.

A flood of Carolina tallies would come across the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, an RBI single and a sac fly gave the Bruins a one-run lead at 6-5. Then, in the sixth, a run-scoring double and an RBI triple made it 8-5.

Milligan scored once in the sixth on another double steal by Ashley Worley and Ma. Johnson, making it 8-6, which would end up being the final tally.

Yet again, the Buffaloes scored first in game two, as Ma. Johnson ripped a solo homer to left field to make it 1-0.

Carolina, however, quickly erased that with a five-run inning in the top of the second. An RBI groundout, a bases-loaded walk and a three-run triple gave the Bruins a 5-1 lead.

Mia Grasse hit an RBI single through the left side in the top of the third, chasing home Bates to cut it to a 5-2 game after three.

Then, in the fourth, Alexis Brown smacked a ball up the middle to bring in both Jordan Roulettwheeler and Ma. Johnson and make it a one-run deficit for the Buffaloes.

Then, what seemed to be the knockout blow occurred for the Bruins, as they had a bases-clearing double with the bases loaded to make it an 8-4 game heading into the last half of the sixth stanza.

Milligan, though, responded with a massive bottom of the sixth, plating a total of six runs. Bates reached base on a fielding error by the Bruins' shortstop which brought in the inning's first run in the form of Roulettwheeler, while Brown then knocked home Bates on a two-base hit. That made it an 8-6 game, before Ma. Johnson showed up again in the clutch with a two-run single on a grounder through the right side with a full count and two outs to tie the bout at 8-8. York and Brown came in to score on the play. A wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run to come across, and an RBI hit by Roulettwheeler scored Ma. Johnson to make it 10-8.

That is how the latter tilt would end, as the Bruins were retired in order in the top of the seventh.

Over the course of the afternoon, Ma. Johnson was all over the box score, as she went 7-for-9 over the two-game span with six runs scored, three RBIs, a double, a homer and six stolen bases. Roulettwheeler had a 4-for-4 game in the latter contest after not playing in the first one. Brown went 2-for-5 with a double and three runs batted in, while Bates also had two hits on the day, going 2-for-6.

Overall, the pitching staff did not have a stellar day, as Bree Presnell started game one and allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits across 4.1 innings. She had five strikeouts before passing the ball off to Faith Caldwell, who finished the last 2.2 innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits and struck out one.

In game two, Katelin Secrist began in the circle, affording five runs (zero earned) on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts over the first two innings. Milligan then used four relievers, as Adrianna Piascik, Presnell, Caldwell and Sadie Shoun completed the remaining five innings, combining for three runs allowed and six hits over those frames, Shoun earned her first win of the year in relief.

Next up is an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Montreat College, as the Buffaloes host the Cavaliers on Anglin Field to get the conference slate under way.