Milligan College Team effort leads to big AAC sweep

Recap, photo courtesy of Milligan College

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 6, 2018) – The Milligan College softball team won their eighth straight, fourth straight sweep, of the season against Allen University on Friday afternoon after honoring three seniors, Rachel Coffey, Jenna Gilbert and Cayley Shoemaker. The Buffs (18-10, 11-3 AAC) won both games in five innings, 19-0 and 21-0.

GAME ONE
Freshman Neelee Griffith blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence, her sixth of the season, on a 1-1 count in the bottom of the first to get Milligan started off on the right foot. Nonetheless, similar to game one at Bluefield earlier this week, fellow freshman Kaylee Frascatore piggybacked off Griffith's homer with one herself over the left field fence. Three hits later Milligan touched home five more times to put them at an eight-run advantage.

Frascatore led off the second inning with another homer over the left field fence, her sixth of the season. The Buffs worked to score six more runs and six more hits that inning. Allen held Milligan to just one run in the third and registered three hits in the top of the fourth. Freshman Megan Grose hit a two-run home run deep down the right field line while fellow freshman Morgan Overholser homered over the center field fence to round out Milligan's game one runs.

GAME TWO
Milligan's momentum carried over into the bottom of the first of game two as the Buffs connected for 12 runs and 12 hits featuring Milligan's only home run of the game by Gilbert, over the left field fence, in which scored Tori Tipton. The Buffs touched home two more times in the bottom of the third but the Yellow Jackets held Milligan in the fourth.

NUMBERS
In game one, Frascatore led with three hits (3-for-3 effort) and three RBI'S. Griffith went 2-for-3 while tallying four RBI's. Gilbert and Kassi Butcher earned two hits apiece. The Buffs altogether registered 18 hits.

In game two, Madison Grindstaff led with a 3-for-3 effort and three RBI's alongside Erica Roller who went 4-for-4 while Gilbert went 3-for-4 and tallied three RBI's. Kirstan Beaver, Coffey, Savannah Nocera, Shoemaker and Tipton all earned two hits apiece. Coffey and Shoemaker also registered two RBI's apiece.

PITCHING
Butcher was given the win in game one allowing just two hits and earning five strikeouts moving her to 9-4 on the season. Josie Milam pitched the last two innings allowing three hits and striking out two.

Shoemaker earned the win in game two striking out four and allowing three hits while Jaclyn Jenkins closed out the game striking out five of seven batters and allowing one hit.

UP NEXT
The Buffs are back on the road for two more AAC doubleheaders on Tuesday, April 10, at Tennessee Wesleyan starting at 2 p.m. and on Saturday, April 14, at St. Andrews, beginning at 1 p.m. Milligan will return to Anglin Field on Monday, April 16, to face Reinhardt University in a doubleheader at 3 p.m.

Buffs claim Union series with big win in finale

Recap, photo courtesy of Milligan College

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 6, 2018) – Jeffrey Mefford struck out eight in his third complete game of the season to lead the Milligan College baseball team to a victory in the rubber game of an Appalachian Athletic Conference series versus Union College Friday afternoon at Anglin Field. After the Buffs won the opener Thursday night, the two teams split Friday's twin bill, Union taking game one 6-4 but Milligan bouncing back to take the finale 7-2.
 
Milligan improved to 14-20 (8-10 AAC) having now won four of the last five and six of the last eight games. This included wins in each of the two most recent series.
 
MEFFORD'S EFFORT | GAME TWO
Mefford scattered seven hits and two earned runs in the seven innings he pitched. Although he walked five, Mefford struck out eight and induced a couple of ground balls for double plays in key situations.
 
In the fifth inning of game two Mefford saw the first two reach base, but a 6-3 double play up the middle helped him get out of the jam. Similarly in the sixth, Union put two runners on with one out, but the junior got a 4-3 double play to end the threat.
 
MILLIGAN'S OFFENSE | GAME TWO
After Union worked to even the series at a game apiece, Milligan put together timely hitting to win the rubber game. Bryan Soto hit a two-out single in the bottom of the first which scored Cameron Harper who had reached on a bunt single. Soto's hit was followed by a two-out, two-RBI double from Chris Patterson which made it 3-0 two batters later.
 
Milligan scored three more runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Clayton Connergot the scoring going in the inning with a double to the right-center field gap which scored Hunter Suggs. Conner then came around to score on a Jascanel Ferreras single, and a Thomas Miller ground ball rounded out Milligan's scoring, making it 7-1.
 
LEADERS | GAME TWO
Ferreras recorded three hits in the win, going 3-for-4 with two RBI's. Conner also had a multihit game as he was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.
 
Mefford's final line as the winning pitcher was seven innings, seven hits, two earned runs, five walks and eight strikeouts. He improved to 4-3 with a team leading ERA of 3.03.
 
UNION'S FAST START | GAME ONE
Union opened the doubleheader on Friday by loading the bases in the top of the first inning. Although Harper, Milligan's starting pitcher, looked to get out of the inning with only one run of damage, a two-out single brought two more runs home to make it 3-0.
 
MILLIGAN'S RALLY BACK | GAME ONE
Milligan trailed 4-0 midway through the sixth inning but stormed back with a four-run sixth. Harper started the inning with a single, and Ferreras followed with a walk. Two batters later Soto drew a bases-loaded walk to score one, then Bailey Russell hit a sacrifice fly to score another.
 
Suggs and Miller had the biggest hits of the inning with run-scoring singles. Suggs' made it 4-3 and Miller's tied the game at 4-4 in a pinch hit at-bat.
 
UNION'S FINISH | GAME ONE
Union responded to Milligan's four-run sixth with a run in the ensuing inning, going ahead 5-4 and leading the rest of the way. The Bulldogs added another run in the top of the ninth off reliever Jacob Littleton to round out the scoring.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan heads to Kentucky Christian University for a nonconference doubleheader on Monday to start a 10-game road swing. The next time the Buffs are scheduled to be home is Friday, April 27, for the start of the final series of the regular season, a three-game set versus Tennessee Wesleyan University.