AAC Season Starts with Split for Milligan Softball at Home against Montreat

MILLIGAN, Tenn. - The Milligan University softball squad continued their 2025 campaign on Tuesday afternoon on Anglin Field. They started their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate with a doubleheader split against the Montreat College Cavaliers, falling 6-5 in game one and taking the victory in the second tilt, 6-2.

Milligan started the opener with a stellar first inning, allowing no runs and scoring three of their own. Alexis Brown started the scoring with a run-scoring single to center, driving home Ashley Worley. Then, Mia Grasse smacked a double to right-center field, bringing in Brown from first. Alana Parsons' infield single drove in Grasse to give MU a 3-0 lead.

Montreat would erase the 3-0 deficit in the top of the fourth, as a solo homer, an RBI fielder's choice, and RBI single and a run-scoring error made it 4-3 for the Cavs.

To regain the lead in the bottom of the inning, Milligan had an RBI double by Maggie Johnson down the right-field line to score Lauren Million, followed by a single by Ashley Worley to drive home Haley Vigil, making it 5-4 with three innings to go.

The Buffaloes' offense went dormant for the remainder of the contest, which left the door open for the Cavaliers to take back the lead and win the game. They were able to do just that with an RBI single in the fifth to tie the score, and then a solo round-tripper in the sixth, saddling the Buffs with a 6-5 loss in the conference opener.

Game number two was a bit of a different story, as neither side could get the bats going until the fourth inning, when Milligan grabbed a single tally on their first two hits of the contest. Brown singled home Mollie Johnson to take a 1-0 lead.

The Buffaloes grabbed a couple additional runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Mo. Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Jordan Roulettwheeler. Then, Vigil scored on a wild pitch, making it a 3-0 game.

In the top of the sixth, Montreat made the game interesting again, scoring twice on an RBI single and a run-scoring two-bagger, making it 3-2 in favor of Milligan.

Fortunately, the Buffaloes doubled their scoring output in the bottom of the sixth, as Parsons lifted a two-run blast to right field to chase home Brown, making it 5-2, and then Stephanie Steele singled home Roulettwheeler, putting MU up 6-2.

That is where the score would stay, as the Buffs stopped Montreat in the top of the seventh to split the day to begin the AAC schedule.

Brown (4-for-7, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB) supplied the most hits for the team on the day, while Roulettwheeler (3-for-6, 2B, 2 R), Vigil (3-for-5, 2B, R), Parsons (2-for-6, HR, 3 RBI, R, SB) and Ma. Johnson (2-for-6, 2B, RBI, 2 SB) also had two hits.

Bree Presnell started the first game, allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits in three innings of work. She was relieved by Katelin Secrist, who hurled the last four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) to take the loss.

Faith Caldwell tossed a masterful five innings of two-run ball in game two to earn her first win of the season. Presnell came in for the two-inning save and did not allow a run on two hits.

The Buffs now have a pair of non-conference battles against Carolina University in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Sunday, Feb. 23, starting at 2 p.m.