Buffaloes Softball Narrowly Edged Twice by UPIKE on the Road

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A doubleheader for the Milligan University softball squad in Pikeville, Ky. was on the Saturday docket, as the Buffs looked to climb to 8-4 within the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) with a pair of wins. Following a two-run loss in the opener, the Buffs also dropped the finale by a 5-4 score, suffering the doubleheader sweep.

Pikeville opened the scoring in the bottom of the first in game one, as a wild pitch allowed the opening salvo.

Milligan responded in the top of the third, as a passed ball allowed Maggie Johnson to score. In addition, Milligan had a solo homer by Alana Parsons, which was her team-leading fourth of the season. The score was 2-0 after two-and-a-half.

UPIKE took control of the battle in the fourth and fifth, scoring four times in the fifth and twice in the sixth to take a 7-2 lead. An RBI double, an error on the MU catcher, a two-run single and a two-run double broke the game open for the Bears.

The Buffaloes tried to make a comeback, starting in the sixth, as a two-run double by Haley Vigil scored both Morgan Lawson and Lauren Million to make it 7-4 with one trip to the plate remaining.

Parsons cracked her second homer of the game and her fifth of the season in the top of the seventh, but that was the only tally that Milligan could muster in the final frame, as they fell 7-5.

The second game was a pitchers' duel until the late stages, as Milligan struck first with a run in the top of the first on a passed ball. Ma. Johnson came in to score on the play.

With a 1-0 lead, Mia Grasse ripped an RBI single to left field to score Jordan Roulettwheeler to go up 2-0 over the Bears.

Pikeville had their lone big inning on offense in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five times. A pair of two-run singles and another RBI knock made it a 5-2 Bears lead over Milligan with two innings left to be played.

Though the Buffs put together another rally, scoring twice in the top of the seventh on an error and then an RBI triple by Lawson to score Alexis Brown, they ended up falling just shy in a 5-4 final. They suffered the AAC doubleheader sweep.

Milligan had 18 hits across the two battles, with nine coming in each game. Brown led the squad with four hits on the day, while Ma. Johnson, Parsons and Lawson each had three. Grasse had a pair as the other hitter for the Buffs to pick up multiple base hits.

Milligan's game one arms allowed seven runs, with Roulettwheeler allowing the first run in just 0.1 innings to start the contest. Katelin Secrist allowed the other six on eight hits across four innings of work. Adrianna Piascik tossed a scoreless final 1.2 frames.

In the latter tilt, Sadie Shoun drew the start in the circle, allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts and was hit with the loss. Bree Presnell relieved her and allowed one run on three hits across a third of an inning. Piascik finished the last two-thirds of an inning for Milligan.

Milligan now has a doubleheader at home on Tuesday, Mar. 18 against the Bears of Truett McConnell, starting at 2 p.m., as the Buffaloes look to get back on the right track in AAC play after falling to 6-6.