MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (March 29, 2017) â€" Milligan College's softball team split a pair of one-run ballgames Wednesday afternoon against Appalachian Athletic Conference opponent Bluefield College. Kimberly Robinson struck out eight and hit a two-run homer to lead the Buffs to a 4-3 walkoff win in game one, but Milligan fell short 3-2 in game two.
 
With the split, Milligan moved to 11-16 (6-10 AAC) while Bluefield moved to 13-9 (2-6 AAC).
 
Robinson, first baseman Rachel Coffey and centerfielder Jenna Gilbert were the keys to game one. Robinson got the start in the circle and kept the Rams scoreless and without a hit through the first four innings. After giving up a run in the top of the fifth, she helped herself by smacking a two-run homer in the bottom half to give the Buffs a 2-1 lead.
 
Coffey followed with a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to give Milligan an insurance run, and the run proved necessary as the Rams scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game up at 3-3. Gilbert had the final answer of game one when she singled to left field with one out and the bases loaded to send Milligan to the walkoff win.
 
Robinson was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI's; Coffey was a perfect 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI; and Gilbert was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Bluefield quickly responded early in game two, tagging starting pitcher Kassi Butcher for two runs in the top of the first inning of the nightcap. Butcher eventually settled in to allow the Rams only four hits over the next three-plus innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. In the meantime, Milligan had come back to tie the game at 2-2 when a Coffey double was followed by a couple of Bluefield errors which allowed two runs to score.
 
Bluefield provided the eventual game-winning run in the fifth on a run-scoring single to center field.
 
Coffey went 2-for-4 in game two to finish the day 5-for-7. Four other Buffs recorded a hit in game two.
 
Milligan will play again on Friday, March 31, in an AAC doubleheader versus Truett-McConnell University. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. back on Anglin Field.