SALEM, Va. – The Roanoke College Softball Team (13-15, 4-4 ODAC) tallied a doubleheader sweep of visiting Emory & Henry College (12-18, 5-5 ODAC) Wednesday evening in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. The Maroons won game one, 8-3, and completed the day with a 6-0 victory in the nightcap.
Game One – Roanoke 8, Emory & Henry 3
RC got on the board in the bottom of the second with five runs thanks to three hits and three walks. A single to left-center by Ruthie Williams drove in a pair of scores to highlight the frame.
The Wasps broke into the scoring column in the fourth as senior right fielder Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) singled to plate junior second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.), 5-1.
In the bottom half of the fourth the Maroons added to their advantage to make the score 8-1. Katie Smith sent a three-run shot over the fence in right centerfield with no outs.
Two runs for Emory & Henry in the top of the seventh drew the score to 8-3. Sophomore left fielder Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) tagged her third round-tripper of the season but it would not be enough.
Williams drove in a pair of runs on three hits while Smith plated four and scored once on two hits. Williams also earned the win in the circle, scattering three runs on six hits with three strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work.
E&H was paced offensively by Loving's two-run homer as she tallied two hits, two RBI and a run in the game. Freshman catcher Amanda Whitlow (Floyd, Va.) also had a pair of hits in the game. Senior right-hander Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) suffered the loss, allowing eight runs in three-plus innings of work.
Game Two – Roanoke 6, Emory & Henry 0
Roanoke scored twice in the bottom of the third and pushed its advantage to 3-0 after the fourth. Taylor Carter had a RBI double in both innings to lead the way. In the fifth, the Maroons added three insurance runs on three hits, an error and two walks for the 6-0 final score.
Emory & Henry managed just four base runners in the game, getting a pair aboard in the second but was unable to push a score across.
Mattie Morris went three-for-four with a RBI while Carter's two doubles resulted in a run and two RBI. Williams added two hits of her own. Teresa Wagner earned the shutout win, allowing just three hits while walking one and striking out five.
E&H's base hits came from sophomore centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.), senior first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) and freshman catcher Bailey Williams (Wilmington, N.C.). Senior Kaitlyn Pruitt (Abingdon, Va.) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on five hits in three innings pitched.
Emory & Henry will remain on the road this weekend when it travels to face Lynchburg College on Saturday afternoon. First pitch for the ODAC doubleheader is set for 1:30 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15