WINCHESTER, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (23-10, 10-10 ODAC) completed the regular season with a doubleheader split against Shenandoah University (10-22, 8-12 ODAC) Saturday afternoon at Henkel-Harris Field. The Wasps claimed game one by a 3-0 score while the Hornets took the finale, 9-7.
Game One – Emory & Henry 3, Shenandoah 0
The two teams battled through six scoreless innings, both stranding a pair of runners in the fourth. Emory & Henry also had two on with two outs in the sixth, but was unable to push a run across.
In the top of the seventh, sophomore catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) led things off when she reached on a throwing error by the first baseman. A sacrifice bunt by junior second baseman Alyssa Clark (Hiltons, Va.) moved Chrisley to third and a squeeze play by freshman centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) put the Wasps on the board.
Sophomore second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) doubled on the next at bat to drive in Elswick and E&H extended its lead to 3-0 on a two-out single by junior first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.).
A 1-2-3 inning for the Emory & Henry defense in the bottom of the seventh gave the Wasps their sixth shutout win of the 2015 campaign.
Elswick had two hits, a run and a RBI while Pudney added a run, a hit and drove in a run. Senior right-hander Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) picked up the three-hit shutout, striking out six for her seventh win of the year.
Shenandoah was led by Kimberly Brady who tallied two of the team's three hits. Lindsay Corbin suffered the loss, allowing one earned run on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Game Two – Shenandoah 9, Emory & Henry 7
E&H got out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second as Elswick drove in two with a triple to right centerfield and freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) made it back-to-back three-baggers to plate Elswick.
SU scored one run in the second to get on the board, 3-1, and took a 7-3 lead with six runs in the third. The Hornets hammered out five hits and took advantage of two Wasp errors in the frame while Lisa Mitro drove in a pair on a single through the left side. Three runs also scored after Cassie Green reached on a throwing error.
Shenandoah pushed the margin to 9-3 in the fourth as Mistro and Brady each had RBI base hits.
In the top of the fifth, Emory & Henry began a comeback as freshman catcher Bailey Williams (Wilmington, N.C.) had a RBI single to right field. The Wasps got within two runs, 9-7, after the sixth frame. Freshman right fielder Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drove in two with a double to right field while a groundout by junior left fielder Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) on the next at bat scored another run.
Emory & Henry forced Shenandoah to strand two runners in the sixth and started a two-out rally in the seventh but was unable to close the gap further.
SU's Mitro went three-for-four with three RBI and a run scored while Brandy and Ashlyn Drake had two runs and two hits each. Mitro earned the win, allowing seven runs in six innings pitched while Corbin picked up the save, pitching the seventh.
Elswick had three hits, two RBI and a run while Hodge was three-for-three with a run and a RBI. Loving drove in two on two hits and a run. Junior Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings pitched while senior Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Emory & Henry will now await the announcement of the pairings for the 2015 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament, which will come after the conclusion of league play on Monday night. The Wasps are ensured a spot in the eight-team field which will vie for the ODAC Championship at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. The tournament is scheduled to run from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15