MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 5, 2017) â€" Senior Ashley Arnold had a bases-clearing double to get the scoring going in game one, then capped the day off with a walkoff single at the end of game two as the Milligan College softball team swept Tennessee Wesleyan University, 9-3 and 5-4 in eight innings, on Wednesday.
 
Arnold helped Milligan finish its Appalachian Athletic Conference slate with its fourth sweep, and the Buffs improved to 15-16 (10-10 AAC). The day also marked the fourth time this season Milligan went to extra innings. Previously having come off a 5-4, 11-inning win over Truett-McConnell the last time out, the Buffs improved to 3-1 in extra-inning games.
 
Arnold finished both games of the doubleheader 2-for-4. She had three RBI's in the first game and an RBI and a run in the second game. Her final base hit of the day helped Milligan erase a blown seventh-inning lead after Jenna Gilbert had put the Buffs on top with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Milligan and TWU were tied 2-2 midway through the sixth inning and Gilbert appeared to have given the Buffs enough for the win when she connected for a two-run shot on a 1-1 count. Instead, TWU rallied with two runs in the seventh to force the added inning where Arnold delivered.
 
Arnold and Kacie Skeen offensively, along with starting pitcher Kimberly Robinson defensively, were the keys to victory in game one. Arnold came up clutch in the bottom of the first with a two-out double to right-center field, scoring Robinson, Gilbert, and Skeen and giving the Buffs a 3-0 advantage.
 
After Tennessee Wesleyan started to rally back and looked poised to draw even in the top of the sixth, Skeen provided another offensive spark with a three-RBI double of her own, extending the lead to 9-3. Arnold's and Skeen's doubles were bookends to another stellar effort inside the circle from Robinson. Robinson was perfect one out into the fourth inning and kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until an error helped them score in the fifth.
 
In all, Robinson threw her fifth complete game of the season and ninth complete game of her career. She allowed six hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out two to earn the win in game one.
 
Kassi Butcher picked up the win in game two after keeping Tennessee Wesleyan to four hits, two (unearned) runs and no walks over five innings.
 
Milligan will be home again on Sunday for a nonconference doubleheader against nearby Tusculum College. It will be the first of four remaining nonconference doubleheaders for the Buffs. The AAC tournament is scheduled to take place April 26-29 in Kingsport.