NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (5-9) got back on the winning track with a pair of wins Tuesday afternoon at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. The Wasps started the day with a 5-1 win against Penn College and earned a 12-3 run-rule victory over Chatham University.
Game One – Emory & Henry 5, Penn Coll. 1
The Wasps scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore second baseman Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drilled a two-run shot to left field. E&H added a run in the second to extend its lead to 3-0.
Two more runs for Emory & Henry in the bottom of the sixth made the score 5-0. A single up the middle by sophomore third baseman Ragan Halsey (Hillsville, Va.) highlighted the inning.
With one out in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats got their first hit of the game. Two batters later, Penn got on board with a groundout to the pitcher, 5-1, but would do no more damage.
Halsey, sophomore left fielder Jordan Whitcomb (Rocky Mount, Va.) and senior right fielder Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) each had two hits while Loving drove in two with her home run. Junior Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) picked up the complete-game win, carrying a no-hitter through 6.1 innings with two strikeouts.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 12, Chatham 3 (five innings)
After the Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Wasps scored a pair of runs in the second to lead, 2-1. Sophomore Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) drove in Bays with a double to right field and scored two batters later on a passed ball.
In the fourth, the Wasps got seven runs for a 9-1 advantage. Junior designated player Alison Hughs (Woodlawn, Tenn.) and sophomore third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) each drove in a pair, Hughs' coming on a double down the right field line and Hodge's on a triple to right center.
Down by eight runs in the fifth inning, Chatham got two runs to keep the game going with two singles to right field by Kaitlyn Sonson and Leigha Pehrson.
Emory & Henry ended the game in the fifth as freshman catcher Amanda Whitlow (Riner, Va.) hit a double to left centerfield and freshman Madison McClanahan (Abingdon, Va.) drilled a walk-off home run down the left field line for the 12-3 win.
Whitlow went two-for-three with two runs and two RBI while Hodge had a pair of base hits and two RBI. Elswick and Bays each scored twice on one base hit. Elswick also earned the win in the circle, scattering three runs on seven hits over five innings pitched with three strikeouts.
Sonson went two-for-three with two RBI while Adrianna Martin had a pair of base hits. Sam Crilley suffered the loss, allowing nine runs on eight hits with two walks, despite only two runs being earned.
Emory & Henry will next compete on Thursday morning with its final two games in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic. The Wasps will play at 9:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m., at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex Field 2.
---E&H---
-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15