MILLIGAN, Tenn.- It was a sunny Saturday afternoon at Anglin Field where Milligan University's softball program hosted non-conference Carolina University (N.C.) for the final regular season doubleheader. The Bruins and Buffs met earlier in the season when Milligan traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C. and picked up a doubleheader sweep. This time around the matchups marked senior day and a final tune up for the Buffs just ahead of the upcoming Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament. After dropping a tight game one 5-3, Milligan bounced back with a shutout, 5-0, victory to split the series on senior day.
Carolina came out fast in the opener, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The Bruins' leadoff batter reached on a base hit, and consecutive groundouts moved her to third. A second hit of the inning brought in the game's first run. With two outs, an infield single followed by a shallow single to left loaded the bases, and an error on a ground ball allowed two more runs to score.
Milligan responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own.
Haley Vigil led off with a single up the middle, and
Kaylee Oler dropped a sacrifice bunt, but an errant throw turned it into a run-scoring play. Oler then stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3–2.
Milligan evened it up in the second by pushing a run across.
Sadie Shoun laced a single to start the inning.
Ashley Worley followed with a base hit to put two runners on. Vigil capitalized with her second hit of the game; this time, she crushed a double that brought in the equalizing run.
Both offenses threatened in the third, as the Bruins loaded the bases and the Buffs had a runner gunned down at home. However, neither side scored again until Carolina broke through in the fifth with two go-ahead runs. A hit parade of three straight singles loaded the bases with no outs. Then, Shoun cut down a runner at the plate on a ball hit to left field, and
Ashley Worley saved multiple potential runs with a diving catch at second, but Milligan's luck ran out when a bloop single to right field brought in two runs.
Carolina looked to extend the lead in the sixth after what appeared to be an RBI double. However, it was ruled that the runner never touched the plate after a collision, wiping the run off the board and returning the runner to first on a dead ball. Milligan then turned a double play on the next at-bat to end the inning.
Milligan carried the momentum into the bottom of the sixth but came up short with the tying run in scoring position. Roulettwheeler got a free pass to start the inning, and Vigil's patience at the plate paid off with a one-out walk. Oler then laid down her fourth bunt attempt of the game — nearly legging out a single — but was called out on a close play, advancing both runners. A groundout ended the inning with the tying run stranded on second.
Still facing a two-run deficit in the bottom of the final inning, Milligan went down in order to drop game one 5–3. Overall, Carolina's five runs came on 12 hits, while Milligan's three runs came on 10 hits.
Game two was a change of pace from the opening game's immediate offense, as Milligan recorded just two hits and held Carolina hitless through the first two innings. The Buffs jumped out to an early four-run lead in the third, as
Bree Presnell drew a walk and
Ashley Worley and Vigil followed with back-to-back base hits to load the bases with no outs. Oler worked a walk to drive in the first run, and Halliburton did enough with a sac fly to make it two. With two outs, Secrist put the exclamation point on the inning, ripping a two-RBI single to push the lead to four.
The big inning put Milligan in a comfortable position, as Presnell was breezing through Carolina's lineup and kept them hitless through five innings of work.
Carolina broke up the no-hit bid in the sixth with a one-out triple to the right-center gap, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Milligan added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to extend the advantage to 5–0. Shoun walked, stole second, and moved to third on a Worley base hit before scoring on a wild pitch.
Presnell completed the shutout in the seventh to give Milligan a 5–0 win and split the series.
Secrist paced the offense across the doubleheader, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two walks. Oler tallied four hits in six at-bats with an RBI, a walk and three stolen bases. Worley posted four hits in six at-bats with a run scored and two stolen bases in game two. Vigil collected three hits in seven at-bats with an RBI, a walk and a double in game one. Shoun drew a walk and came around to score in game two, going 1-for-5 on the afternoon. Presnell contributed a hit in two at-bats with a walk and a run scored out of the circle in game two. Roulettwheeler went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in game one. Halliburton drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in game two despite going hitless in six at-bats.
In the circle, Secrist took the loss in game one, going the distance for 7.0 innings and allowing five runs (three earned) on 12 hits across 99 pitches. Presnell earned the win in game two, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth before a one-out triple to right-center broke it up. She went the distance, limiting Carolina to one hit while striking out seven across 103 pitches to complete the shutout.
With the regular season in the books, next up for Milligan (20-20, 14-12) will be the AAC Tournament hosted at Kingsport, Tenn. starting on Monday, April 27. The Buffs currently sit in seventh place in the conference standings but have the potential to move up depending on the outcomes of future games.
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