GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (March 17, 2016) â€" Jessica Goodson's arm and Kimberly Robinson's bat led the Milligan College softball team to two wins, 6-0 and 7-2, over NCAA Division II Tusculum College Thursday afternoon in a midweek doubleheader.
 
The wins gave Milligan (15-7, 3-1 AAC) seven straight victories and marked their ninth victory in the last 10 games. The Buffs improved to 9-3 against NCAA competition this season while dropping Tusculum, which had won eight straight at one point this season, to 14-14 overall.
 
Goodson made the start inside the circle in game one and was dominant from the first pitch. She went perfect through the first four and two-thirds innings until a two-out double in the fifth gave Tusculum its first base runner. By then the Buffs led 5-0.
 
During her perfect stretch, Goodson struck out four and allowed only three balls out of the infield. She finished the game with a line of 5.1 innings, three hits, no runs, no walks and four K's. Cayley Shoemaker finished the last one-plus inning with more shutout softball, conceding only one hit.
 
With the effectiveness of Goodson and Shoemaker inside the circle, Milligan had the opener won by the fourth batter of the game as Robinson sent a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer with one out in the top of the first. The Buffs then added another run in the third, fourth and sixth to put the game away.
 
Robinson picked right back up in game two where she had in game one, opening the scoring for the Buffs just 12 pitches into the nightcap. She did this by way of a sacrifice fly which scored Natalie Sheffey, and the Buffs added another run in the first on a Jessica Wheelock RBI single.
 
Milligan then extended its lead in game two with more runs in the second, third and sixth innings, and a pitching committee of Shoemaker, Kassi Butcher and Robinson limited the Pioneers to only six hits and two runs.
 
Robinson finished the day 4-for-6 with seven RBI's and two runs scored. She slugged 1.167 in eight trips to the plate. Wheelock (4-for-7) matched Robinson in the hits category, and Jessica Connatser and Sheffey had three hits apiece across the two games.
 
Goodson, who is one of only six Appalachian Athletic Conference pitchers with six wins, improved to 6-3 with the win in game one. Butcher picked up the win in game two while Robinson earned the save.
 
Milligan returns to the softball diamond on Saturday, March 19, for a road AAC doubleheader at Truett-McConnell College (11-13, 1-3 AAC). The Buffs are back home on Thursday, March 31, against Columbia College.