TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (14-4) earned a pair of wins in its final day of competition at Space Coast Spring Training Wednesday. The Wasps swept the Bobcats of St. Thomas (Fla.) University (7-13) in a doubleheader, taking game one 12-0 and picking up a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.
The Basics
GAME ONE – Emory & Henry 12, St. Thomas (Fla.) 0 (five innings)
GAME TWO – Emory & Henry 1, St. Thomas (Fla.) 0
LOCATION – Titusville, Florida – Chain of Lakes Park
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (14-4, 0-0 ODAC); St. Thomas (Fla) (7-13, 3-0 The Sun)
Game One
- Emory & Henry got on the board in the top of the first as senior second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) scored on a wild pitch.
- Three more runs came in the second for a 4-0 lead. Junior centerfielder Leah Elswick (Honaker, Va.) highlighted the frame with a two-run double to left field.
- The Wasps tacked on five runs in the fourth, pushing their advantage to 9-0. Junior first baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drove in two with a double to right center while Elswick and senior shortstop Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) each had RBI base hits.
- In the top of the fifth, E&H put up another three runs to lead 12-0. The final score of the game came on a double by sophomore Madison McClanahan (Abingdon, Va.).
- Junior Emily Kendrick (Honaker, Va.) earned a complete-game shutout victory, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts.
- Jessica Castiglione suffered the loss, allowing four unearned runs on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings of work.
Game Two
- The second game of the doubleheader moved along quickly with just one base-runner in the entirety of the first three innings.
- Emory & Henry scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Elswick led off the frame with a single and after a single and a groundout found herself on third with two outs. A wild pitch gave her the opportunity to come home as the Wasps went up 1-0.
- The game continued much as it started with the Bobcats' best chance coming in the top of the seventh. With one out and runners on the corners a flyout to centerfield allowed Michelle Murch to tag up at third. Elswick then fired a laser to home plate to get a game-ending double play.
- Freshman Tiffany Cole (Wise, Va.) picked up the shutout win, scattering five hits and five strikeouts over the seven-inning contest.
- STU's Jennifer Acevedo allowed just one run on four hits with two strikeouts despite the loss.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Elswick led the way with four hits, three RBI and two runs scored while Pudney scored twice on three hits.
- Loving had a run on two hits with a RBI while Hodge drove in two on her base hit and scored once.
- Freshman outfielder Caitlyn Yates (Coeburn, Va.) scored three times and had a hit and a RBI while sophomore catcher Amanda Whitlow (Riner, Va.) added two runs.
St. Thomas Individual Leaders
- Alysha Coyle went three-for-five to lead the Bobcats' offense while Melody Grafals added two hits.
- GiGi Santos and Michelle Murch also had base knocks for St. Thomas.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will have 10 days off before its next competition. The Wasps open Old Dominion Athletic Conference play on Saturday, March 25 with a doubleheader at Eastern Mennonite University.
- First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
---E&H---