MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (March 12, 2007) --- The Milligan College softball team split a doubleheader Monday afternoon against NCAA Division II foe Tusculum (Tenn.) College at Anglin Field. Tusculum took the first game 12-4 and the Lady Buffs bounced back to take the second game 7-3. After the split, Milligan holds a 10-10 record while Tusculum moves to 16-6.

Game 1 Milligan 4 Tusculum 12

Tusculum’s Brie Griffin started the scoring early with a two-run home run with two outs in the first inning. Jenica Fernandez was on base after Mallory Tincher (Jacksonville, Fla.) committed a fielding error and then Milligan’s Brooke Dowdy (Bradenton, Fla.) struck the next two batters out before Griffin’s home run.

A five-run second inning was capped with another two-run home run from Griffin.

Milligan cut into the lead with three runs in the third inning when Jessica Blevins (Elizabethton, Tenn.) hit her own three-run homer. Heather Poindexter (Germanton, N.C.) started the inning with a single and then Laken Stewart (Pennington Gap, Va.) was hit by a pitch. After Leah Fritts (Knoxville, Tenn.) flew out to center field, Blevins hit her third home run of the season.

The offensive output from Griffin was not over however, as she drove a three-run shot over the wall in the fourth inning to add to Tusculum’s lead.

Tincher scored in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Poindexter double to make the score 10-4.

Chrissy Wilkinson drove in Judith Saavedra and Fernandez with her single in the fifth inning.  

On the mound, Dowdy (3-4) suffered the loss after pitching two innings and giving up seven runs on four hits.

Blevins added a single to go with her home run while Poindexter went 2-for-2 with a run scored, RBI and double for the Lady Buffs.

Griffin finished the contest 3-for-4 with three home runs and seven RBI while Fernandez also accounted for three runs as she was 2-for-4 at the plate.

Jessica Bales pitched a complete game for the win, she gave up four runs on seven hits.

Game 2 Milligan 7 Tusculum 3

Jennifer Wise (Clermont, Fla.) pitched a complete game to help lead Milligan to the win. Wise (3-4) gave up two runs in the fifth inning and another in the seventh while she scattered seven hits.

The Lady Buffs put a run on the scoreboard in the first inning when Fritts came around to score. Wise helped herself out in the second inning with a RBI double to drive in Melanie Strickler (Kingsport, Tenn.) to give Milligan a 2-0 lead.

A bases loaded walk to Fritts in the fourth inning pushed Strickler across home and Stewart drove in Jessica Russell (New Market, Tenn.) and pinch-runner Hannah Cunningham (Waterford, Ohio) with her single.

Strickler’s two-run single in the fifth inning made the score 7-2 and Wise pitched a perfect sixth inning and allowed one run in the seventh to finish off the Milligan win.

Raeanne Slate suffered the loss for Tusculum, she went 4 1/3 innings.

Tincher finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and double while Strickler scored two runs and drove in two.

Saavedra was 2-for-2 with a triple, walk and run scored in the fifth inning.

Milligan will host the University of the Cumberlands Wednesday afternoon. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Anglin Field. Milligan split with the University of the Cumberlands in their earlier doubleheader on February 21. The Lady Buffs won the first game 4-2 but dropped the second 6-5