Softball Rolls Past Milligan; Advances in AAC Tournament

Kingsport, Tennessee- The Brenau softball team used a big third inning to pull away from top-seeded Milligan (Tenn.) University 9-3 in the second round of the 2021 Appalachian Athletic Conference softball championships on Tuesday.

After a scoreless first two innings, the Brenau offense pushed out four runs in the top of the third inning as junior Claire Fendig and sophomore Morgan Tyler each singled to start the rally. After an error on the Buffaloes' Lainey Mays allowed senior Faith Grooms to reach and load the bases, junior Maygan Loparo singled home Fendig to make the score 1-0. Freshman Abigail Brown then hit a shallow single to score Tyler and Grooms to increase the Golden Tigers' lead to 3-0. Two batters later junior Kasey Blair singled home Loparo to give Brenau a commanding 4-0 lead.

Milligan added runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings, but the Brenau offense continued to hit away, adding five more runs over the final four innings to cruise to a 9-3 victory.

Brenau starter Cameron Dillard continued her strong tournament as the senior went all seven innings for the win. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native allowed ten hits, but only allowed three runs for her second victory of the tournament.

Brenau (20-14 overall, 15-11 AAC) next faces #4 seed Point (Ga.) University (27-10 overall, 18-8 AAC) in a double-elimination format for the remainder of the tournament. First pitch is set for 3 pm on Wednesday.

Fans are permitted to attend. Masks are not required for fans, but fans must socially distance themselves from others not in their family. All tickets will be sold online and can be purchased by clicking here.

If unable to attend in person, all games will be streamed live online. To watch, click here.

Full tournament stats and live stats can be found by clicking here.