COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 2, 2019) â€" After losing game one of a doubleheader in heartbreaking fashion, Milligan College's softball team bounced back to split the series with Columbia International University Saturday in Appalachian Athletic Conference action on the road. Milligan lost game one 2-1 but won game two 6-1.
 
AFTER WALKOFF, BUFFS RESPOND WITH GAME TWO WIN
Milligan (3-7, 1-1 AAC) lost the first game on a game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh then fell behind early in the second game only to bounce back. Trailing 1-0 through one, Lindsey Slagle's RBI single to right-center in the second inning put the Buffs into a 2-1 lead, and they led the rest of the way. Kayla Baker provided an RBI single to make it 3-1 in the fourth, Erica Roller scored on a wild throw to make it 4-1 in the sixth, and Karsten Miller and Roller provided RBI's in the seventh to round out the scoring.
 
Kassi Butcher pitched all seven innings and earned her second win of the season. She allowed seven hits, walked two, struck out two, and her only run of the game was scored in the first inning on a two-out double.
 
At the dish, Roller was 3-for-4 while Jaclyn Jenkins was 2-for-3.
 
CIU RALLIES TO WALK OFF IN GAME ONE
Milligan looked poised to win its first conference game in the opener when Slagle came across home plate in the sixth inning of game one. It broke a scoreless tie to put Milligan into the lead with only two frames left, but CIU scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
 
Erin Forgety had a perfect game working with one away in the fifth but ended up suffering the loss. CIU managed only one hit, and one base runner, through the first six innings before connecting for three doubles in the seventh. Forgety allowed the first two doubles to lead the inning off, settled down to retire the next two, but saw the game end on a walk-off double.
 
Forgety's line featured nine strikeouts and no walks with only four hits and two earned runs. The nine strikeouts marked a career high for the freshman from Rogersville, Tennessee.
 
Jenkins again was a spark in Milligan's lineup with a 2-for-3 effort. She went 4-for-6 for the day.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan plays one more AAC doubleheader in Columbia this weekend when the Buffs face Columbia College Sunday at 11 a.m. Their first home game is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, against University of the Cumberlands.