LAURINBURG, N.C. (March 14, 2014) â€" In a battle of the AAC's top unbeatens, the Milligan College softball team survived multiple scares to come away with a doubleheader sweep of St. Andrews University, 12-7 and 10-9, on the road Friday evening.
 
Milligan stayed perfect through the first six games of its Appalachian Athletic Conference schedule, improving to 7-8 (6-0 AAC). St. Andrews, which also began the day perfect in the AAC, fell to 10-14 (4-2 AAC).
 
After winning easily in game one, Milligan needed extra innings and some late-game magic from Jessica Connatser to put away a pesky St. Andrews squad. Milligan led by three in the sixth and by two in the seventh but surrendered the tying runs in the bottom half of both frames. It wasn't until Connatser hit a two-out, two-strike single to center field in the top of the ninth that Milligan took the lead for good.
 
Connatser followed her game-winning single by stealing second and scoring on Krista Lambdin's base hit, a run which proved to be the difference in the game as the Knights rallied in the bottom half once again.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, St. Andrews shortstop Kelsey Lee led the inning off with a double to make it 10-9 then worked her way to third on a fly-out to right. Two batters later, the Knights had runners on second and third with one out, marking the third straight inning they put the winning run in scoring position.
 
Chancli Connatser (4-4) made the start and threw the first four innings before re-entering in the seventh to close the door on each of those chances. C. Connatser struck out three, including the last two batters of the game, in seven total innings of work inside the circle.
 
J. Connatser finished game two with four singles (4-for-5), two runs and three RBI's. Lambdin and Maleah Wolfenbarger also had multiple hits.
 
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Milligan put game one away early, thanks mostly to a pair of home runs by Taylor McGinnis. McGinnis opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with a three-run homer to straight-away center before expanding the Buffaloes lead with another three-run shot, to left, in the second.
 
McGinnis drew walks in every plate appearance past the second inning, including an intentional walk in the fifth, and finished game one 2-for-2 with three runs and six RBI's.
 
Jessica Wheelock and Kimberly Robinson joined in the slugging action in the last two frames, adding to Milligan's lead with home runs of their own. In the sixth, Wheelock hit a two-out solo homer to left-center field before Robinson hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
 
Wheelock had three runs and two RBI's and was a triple shy of the cycle (3-for-4). Robinson, who hit a pinch-hit run-scoring single in the fifth, was 2-for-2.
 
Inside the circle, starting pitcher C. Connatser allowed four (earned) runs on eight hits and a walk and kept St. Andrews scoreless until the fourth. By then, Milligan's lead was 7-0.
 
Jessica Goodson (2-2) relieved C. Connatser in the fourth and threw the final four innings on the way to her second win of the season. Goodson allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks while striking out three.
 
Milligan will stay on the road for another AAC matchup this weekend, heading to Athens, Tenn., for Tennessee Wesleyan College Sunday, March 16. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m.