Buffaloes Softball Dealt Two Losses on the Road against Bryan

DAYTON, Tenn. – On Friday afternoon, the Milligan University softball squad continued their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate with a doubleheader at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn. It was a tough day for the Buffaloes, who dropped both battles to fall to .500 on the season at 5-5.

Game one began with a trio of runs being put up by the Lions in the bottom of the first, as a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, as well as a bases-loaded walk; brought in the first two runs. Then, a sacrifice fly made it a 3-0 game after one full.

Milligan was able to chip away at that lead in the top of the fourth, when a run-scoring double by Alana Parsons drove in Jordan Roulettwheeler. Then, a sac fly from Jaylyn Halliburton scored Alexis Brown to make it 3-2. Bryan would respond with three runs of their own to erase the progress of the Buffs in the bottom half. An RBI double, a run-scoring single and another RBI base hit made it a 6-2 ballgame with three innings to play.

One run would be recouped by the Buffaloes, as Roulettwheeler singled in Maggie Johnson to start the fifth, but the Lions again responded with a crooked number. They scored four times on a pair of two-run doubles to make it 10-3.

The MU lineup would score one run in the top of the seventh on a Parsons single, bringing home Morgan Lawson, but that would not be nearly enough. They fell 10-4 in the first tilt of the doubleheader.

Not much was different to start game two, as Bryan scored the game's first five runs. They tallied one in the first on an RBI single, snatched another in the third on a run-scoring single and notched a three-spot with a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the fourth.

The Buffaloes would grab their first run in the top of the fifth, as Hadley York scored on a passed ball, making it 5-1. Unfortunately, MU failed to achieve a shutdown inning, allowing three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. A run-scoring two-base hit, a sac fly and a run scored on an error made it 8-1 after five.

It was an uphill battle to cut into the seven-run deficit with three in the top of the sixth, but Milligan would grab three runs in the sixth. Parsons provided another RBI with a double, while Stephanie Steele had an RBI groundout and Mia Grasse singled home H. York to make it 8-4.

Haley Vigil added one more run for the Buffs in the top of the seventh, bringing home Hannah Bates with a single to make it 8-5, where the score would stay.

Parsons (4-for-7, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R) led the way for the Milligan offense on the day, while Roulettwheeler (2-for-4, RBI, R), Vigil (2-for-5, RBI, SB), York (2-for-6, 2 R), Ma. Johnson (2-for-7, R, 2 SB) and Brown (2-for-7, 2 R, SB) all had multiple hits against the Lions.

Game one's pitching came from Bree Presnell, who pitched the first inning and allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Then, Katelin Secrist concluded the remainder of the contest with seven earned runs allowed on 12 hits across the last five innings of the contest. She had two strikeouts and a walk.

The second tilt saw Faith Caldwell start the contest with three innings of four-run ball in the circle on eight hits. She was replaced by Sadie Shoun, who allowed three runs on four hits in one inning with a strikeout. Roulettwheeler finished the game on the slab, allowing an unearned run over the last two innings without allowing a hit.

Next up for the Buffaloes is a conference doubleheader in Laurinburg, N.C. against the Knights of St. Andrews University. The battles will take place on Saturday, Mar. 1, with the first game starting at 12 p.m.