EMORY, Va. – The No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan College Softball Team (24-4, 14-2 ODAC) earned a pair of wins over Emory & Henry College (21-7, 9-7 ODAC) Saturday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action. The Marlins won by scores of 8-0 and 7-3.
The games also served as the capstone of E&H's Second Annual Women's Athletics Alumni Day. Members of the 2003 ODAC Championship Softball Team were on hand for a special presentation made between the two games where a banner was unveiled on the outfield fence commemorating their championship season.
Game One – Virginia Wesleyan 8, Emory & Henry 0
The Marlins got a run in the top of the first and extended their lead to 3-0 with two more in the fourth. Kristina Karagiorgis drove in both of the fourth inning's runs with a double to centerfield.
VWC added four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Cassety Howerin. A final run in the top of the seventh made the final margin 8-0.
Karagiorgis went three-for-three at the plate with two RBI and earned the win in the circle, stirking out 10 in six innings to combine with Ileish Burney for a no-hitter. Kayla Dost and Cortney Bogan had three hits as well while Howerin drove in four on two hits.
E&H senior Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) took the loss, allowing six earned runs in the complete game, striking out two.
Game Two – Virginia Wesleyan 7, Emory & Henry 3
Emory & Henry started things off in the second when senior right fielder Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) doubled to left centerfield, driving in junior left fielder Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.), who led the inning off with a single up the middle.
The Wasps pushed their margin to 3-0 with two runs in the bottom of the third. Freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drove in a run on a fielder's choice while freshman designated player Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) reached on an error which saw another run cross the plate.
VWC took a 4-3 lead, scoring four runs in the fifth. Howerin got things started with a two-run double while Dost had a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
The Marlins added three insurance runs in the seventh highlighted by a two-run pinch-hit single by Teresa Cardamone for the final 7-3 score.
Taylor Galvin went three-for-three and scored two runs while Howerin added two hits and two RBI. Mary Shipp picked up the complete-game win, scattering three runs and five hits with a trio of strikeouts.
Anderson had a hit and a RBI while Bays, sophomore second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) and freshman centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) each added a hit and a run. Junior right-hander Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) took the loss, allowing seven runs on 13 hits in 6.2 innings of work.
Emory & Henry will remain at home on Sunday for its final home doubleheader of the season. The Wasps will take on the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College in a key ODAC matchup. E&H will also honor its four seniors prior to the start of game one. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15