BLUEFIELD, Va. (March 24, 2016) â€" Dating back to 2004, the Milligan College softball team has now defeated Bluefield College in 27 consecutive matchups, with the latest installment coming in the form of a 3-2, 7-2, sweep Thursday afternoon at Graham Recreation Park.
 
Milligan (18-8 overall, 6-2 AAC), has now won 14 of its last 17 games and has swept five of its last seven doubleheaders. Meanwhile, the game one win was the first game between the Buffs and Bluefield (9-19, 1-11) decided by less than three runs since 2007. This season, the Rams have lost seven straight games and 10 of their last 12 overall, and are the only squad in the league with double-digit losses.
 
After Kimberly Robinson and Jessica Goodson swept the Appalachian Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week awards last week, the duo was the story of game one on Thursday.
 
Despite recording only two hits in the opener, both by Robinson, Milligan scored a run in the top of the third on Bluefield's second error of the game, and then pushed across two more in the top of the sixth on two more Lady Rams' errors, an RBI double by Robinson and an RBI groundout by Kacie Skeen. The Lady Rams finished with five errors in the game as Milligan took advantage when it counted.
 
Goodson (8-4), coming off her second weekly conference honor of her junior season, was dominant again on Thursday. The Lady Rams were held to three hits and two walks through Goodson's first five innings of work, and then after Bluefield loaded the bases in the bottom off the seventh off of Cayley Shoemaker, Goodson re-entered to record two outs before allowing two runs to squeak in on a hit to third and a hit by pitch. Goodson then drew a line out to center field to end both the game and the Lady Rams' threat.
 
Goodson finished with six innings, four hits, two walks and no runs on her game-one line, and then allowed only one hit through the final two innings of the second game. The line was similar for Bluefield in both games as the Milligan pitching staff held the Lady Rams to two runs on six hits in each game, and the Lady Rams one-upped their game-one fielding performance by committing six errors in game two.
 
Kassi Butcher (5-2) earned the game two victory by allowing only five hits, two total runs but only one earned, and no walks in five innings. Jessica Wheelock led the Buffs' offense with a 2-for-4 game and an RBI and a run, while Natalie Sheffey added two RBI's and a run, Jessica Connatser had two RBI's, Ashely Arnold had an RBI and a run, and Caroline Testerman scored twice.
 
Connatser put Milligan ahead 2-1 in the top of the third with a one-out, two-RBI single to right, bringing in Testerman and Wheelock. The Buffs then blew the game open with a five spot in the top of the sixth inning featuring an RBI double by Arnold to score Butcher and more RBI's by Testerman, Sheffey and Wheelock.
 
Milligan returns to action for some more AAC the day after Easter, Monday, March 28, for a home doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. against the Koalas of Columbia College. The Buffs then hit the highway for three away dates and their final road trip of the season to kick off the final month of the regular season.