Milligan’s no-hitter puts No. 19 Walters State in TCCAA/Region VII Championship

CHATTANOOGA, TN – Gutsy doesn't even begin to describe Ashley Milligan's performance in the circle for No. 19 Walters State on Wednesday in the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament.

Milligan, who had pitched the majority of all three tournament games coming into the day, entered in relief in the sixth inning in game one against Cleveland State on Wednesday. With the score tied at three, Milligan got out of a bases-loaded jam and then shut the door in the seventh to preserve a 4-3 victory.

Then, facing No. 13 Volunteer State in game two, a team that had topped the Lady Senators four times in the season including Tuesday afternoon, Milligan started in the circle. 

Dealing with fatigue and bumps and bruises, Milligan threw zero after zero on the scoreboard as her team built up a 4-0 lead. In the seventh with two down, Milligan fielded a ground ball and threw it to first to send the Lady Senators into the Championship game and complete a no-hitter. 

"I realized in about the fourth inning that I had a no-hitter going," Milligan said. "I just told myself to keep it together and not ruin it. I was just glad we were able to get the win." 

With the sweep of the day, Walters State will play No. 10 Chattanooga State in the Championship at 12 p.m. on Thursday. They will have to beat the Lady Tigers twice to secure the championship.

GAME ONE: No. 19 Walters State 4, Cleveland State 3

In game one of the day, Walters State staked out a 3-0 lead but needed a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth to win the game. 

Adrienne Morrison got the start in the circle for the Lady Senators and threw five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and struck out two. 

After Morrison gave up the game-tying home run in the sixth, Milligan came in and loaded the bases before getting a fly-out to get out of the jam. In the seventh, Milligan closed the door and picked up her 19th win of the season.

"I just came in thinking that this is our time, and we needed to finish this one off," Milligan said about coming on in relief. "I just wanted to give us a chance and that's what happened." 

At the plate, Jessica Campbell was phenomenal in the leadoff spot, going 4-for-4 and driving in a run. Olivia Harris had two hits as well and drove in two runs while Ava Brooks knocked in the final run.

The Lady Senators had 12 hits in the game.

After two scoreless innings to start, the Lady Senators got on the board first with a Harris RBI single in the third that scored Brooks and made it 1-0. 

In the fourth, Campbell doubled with two outs and scored Maggie Johnson to make it 2-0. One more run came across in the fifth as Harris doubled in a run and it was 3-0 Lady Senators. 

In the sixth, Cleveland State tied the game with a three-run homer. However, Walters State answered in the bottom of the sixth as Brooks walked with two outs and the bases-loaded to score a run.

GAME TWO: No. 19 Walters State 4, No. 13 Volunteer State 0

In game two, the Lady Senators sat back and watched as Milligan shut batter-after-batter down on her way to the no-hitter. 

Milligan struck out six and walked three, picking up her 20th win of the season as she moved to 20-1. 

After giving up a home run that was the difference in Tuesday's matchup between the two teams, Wednesday's performance was satisfying for Milligan.

"They beat us four times at this point, and I went out there to make sure we kept it at four," Milligan said. "It was just good to get the victory and stay alive." 

For Milligan, she said her curveball was the difference maker in the game.

"They loved that curveball," Milligan said. "I just kept trying to throw it effectively." 

The Lady Senators offense helped Milligan out as well as Brooks got things going in the first with a two-run blast. In the fourth, Walters State added two more runs as Brianna Beech singled home a run and Ashlyn Gaines reached on a fielder's choice that scored Jessica Odom. 

Johnson led the way with two hits while the Lady Senators totaled seven as a team. 

Now, the Lady Senators sit two wins away from their first conference and region title since 2018. The plan for Thursday? Just go out and do it all over again.

"We just have to keep our bats going," Milligan said. "Our mindset we need to have is that we're two wins away from getting to Arizona. We just need to go out there and keep working." 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics