MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 20, 2016) â€" Kimberly Robinson, Jessica Connatser and Erica Roller each hit home runs as they backed pitchers Kassi Butcher and Jessica Goodson during the Milligan College softball team's first doubleheader sweep of the year. The Buffaloes took down NCAA Division II Brevard College 6-2 in game one, then thwarted a Tornado comeback and pulled out a nail-biter in the second game, 6-5, Saturday afternoon at Anglin Softball Field.

With the two wins, Milligan's record improved to 4-2 on the year while Brevard's fell to 5-7.

In addition to the big day by Connatser, who finished the day with four hits, a three-run home run, a double and seven runs batted in, the games featured two more solid starts by Butcher and Goodson.

In game one, Butcher (1-0) earned her first collegiate win on the mound by pitching six innings and holding Brevard to two runs on six hits, including 11 groundball outs after recording nine in her previous outing at University of the Cumberlands.

In addition to getting three groundouts in both the first and fifth innings, Butcher was aided by the Tornado running themselves out of the third and fourth innings. With runners on second and third with two out in the top of the third, a single by Kinny Davis brought in Jamie Hrobak from third before Ashleigh Ivey was caught between third and home and was eventually tagged out by third baseman Kacie Skeen. Then, in the top of the fourth, a two-out double by Kinsey Parrish led to her being thrown out at home by Caroline Testerman after Hanna Huckabee singled down the right field line.

Milligan was the first to get on the scoreboard in both games as a three-RBI double in the second inning of game one and an RBI infield hit in the third inning of game two, both by Connatser, gave the Buffs momentum.

After the Buffs' three-hit second inning in game one, Milligan scored again in the third and put the game out of reach in the fifth as Robinson hit a two-run shot over the left field fence to score Skeen for the second time in the game. Robinson's homer was not only her first of the season and first RBI's so far, but was also Milligan's fourth two-run bomb of the season by four players.

A diving catch on a liner by Roller in the hole at short ended a Brevard threat that included an RBI walk in the sixth inning of game one. Shoemaker then came on to relieve Butcher and closed out the four-run lead on only nine pitchers, a three-pitch strikeout to start and two groundouts to end it.

After Connatser put Milligan on the board in game two in the third inning, she struck again in a big way in the fifth. After Samantha Lilley singled to lead off, Goodson helped her own cause with a long double to the left field corner to bring in pinch runner Caitlin Campbell all the way from first. Next, after Madison Grindstaff came in to run for Goodson and Natalie Sheffey drew a walk, Connatser smacked a 2-1 pitch by Hrobak (4-3) over right field to open the score up to 5-0.

The big inning for Milligan, however, would prove to be very important as Brevard began to get to Goodson (2-1) in the sixth. Goodson, like Butcher, recorded at least one groundball out in each of her innings pitched, and finished with 10 through five innings of work while recording three ground balls in the second and three in the top of the third to strand a runner on third base in a no-out situation for the Tornado.

Goodson would not be able to pitch herself out of trouble in the sixth as a leadoff single followed by a walk led to an RBI single by Parrish and a three-run home run for Paige Atkison, her third of the year. Butcher then came into the circle for the second time on the day and got out of the inning, but not before allowing the tying run to reach third and retiring the final batter on a hard liner that was just brought in by Testerman in right.

Roller answered the Tornado's four-run sixth inning with a solo shot in the bottom half, Milligan's first solo homer of the season. Shoemaker then came in to pitch the seventh for the second time on the day as she, despite giving up a run in the process, earned her first save and joined Butcher and Goodson with one on the year.

Up next, Milligan hits the road for back-to-back road games on Tuesday, Feb. 23, and Wednesday, Feb. 24, against Hiwassee College (Madisonville, Tenn.) and No. 21 Georgia Gwinnett College (Lawrenceville, Ga.). The doubleheaders are set to begin at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, with the Buffs returning to Anglin Softball Field on Saturday, Feb. 27, to play North Greenville University starting at 1 p.m.