KINGSPORT, Tenn. (April 24, 2019) â€" A late surge from one of the top-ranked teams in the NAIA sent Milligan College's softball team to a 5-2 loss to No. 24 Tennessee Wesleyan University Wednesday in the opening round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament.
 
Savannah Nocera (double), Kirstan Beaver (double) and Morgan Overholser (single) provided back-to-back-to-back hits in the top of the third inning to highlight a two-out rally where the Buffs went into the lead 2-1. Nocera hit her double down the left field line before Beaver smacked hers to deep center shortly thereafter. Beaver's RBI hit made it a tie game, and Overholser singled to right moments later to make it 2-1, Milligan.
 
Milligan (18-17, 16-10 AAC) looked to be in line for the win midway through the fifth until Tennessee Wesleyan (28-7) swung the lead back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Bulldogs then added some cushion and rounded out the scoring with two runs in the sixth.
 
Freshman Erin Forgety made the start inside the circle and pitched effectively through her five innings of work. She scattered seven hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks. Senior Kassi Butcher struck out two and allowed only one hit in her single inning of work, but a pair of Milligan defensive errors allowed Tennessee Wesleyan to plate two unearned runs in its final inning.
 
The Buffs managed five hits in the loss, all coming from the top five hitters in the order. Nocera went 1-for-2 with a run, Beaver went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run, and Overholser went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
 
Up next, Milligan faces second-seeded Union College Thursday at 1 p.m. in an elimination game. Union lost an upset to seventh-seeded Point University, 5-3, early Wednesday. Milligan lost both meetings with Union this season, 2-0 and 5-1, back on March 19.