BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (23-9, 9-5 ODAC) picked up a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference victories on Sunday afternoon, defeating Bridgewater College (8-22, 3-11 ODAC) on the road. The Wasps won the games by scores of 6-1 and 8-4. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 26, but was rescheduled due to the forecast of rain.
The Basics
GAME ONE – Emory & Henry 6, Bridgewater 1
GAME TWO – Emory & Henry 8, Bridgewater 4
LOCATION – Bridgewater, Virginia – Fulk Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (23-9, 9-5 ODAC); Bridgewater (8-22, 3-11 ODAC)
Game One
- Bridgewater got on the board with what would be its only run of the game in the bottom of the third. With Lindsey Talley on third base after a single and an error on a sacrifice bunt, Mikalia Guard drove her home with a sacrifice fly to right field.
- E&H came alive in the fourth with five runs. Senior infielder Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) tagged a two-run home run to left field and freshman designated player Alex Thomas (Orlando, Fla.) made it back-to-back round-trippers with her first collegiate homer. Senior third baseman Ragan Halsey (Hillsville, Va.) and senior catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) both drove in runs with doubles later in the frame.
- The Wasps added a single run in the fifth to make the final score 6-1. Thomas plated Loving from second base with a two-out single up the middle.
- E&H junior Emily Kendrick (Honaker, Va.) picked up the complete-game victory, allowing just one unearned run on four hits with nine strikeouts.
- Carolyn Campbell suffered the loss for the Eagles, allowing five runs on five hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
Game Two
- The Wasps got going early as Loving hit a two-run blast to left field in the top of the first.
- BC tied the game at two in the bottom half of the inning as Guard also hit a two-run homer to left.
- Emory & Henry went back ahead in the third on a single to left field by junior second baseman Leah Elswick (Honaker, Va.).
- A two-run double to right-centerfield by Mariah Wharton in the fifth kept the back-and-forth game going, as Bridgewater took a 4-3 advantage.
- In the sixth, the Wasps regained the lead for good with three runs. Thomas got things started with a single to right and after Loving scored from third on a wild pitch, sophomore right fielder Rachel Smoot (Riner, Va.) hit a double off the left field wall to make the score 6-4.
- Emory & Henry added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a two-run shot to centerfield by junior first baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) for the final 8-4 score.
- Freshman Tiffany Cole (Wise, Va.) got the win, scattering four runs on five hits with two strikeouts over five innings. Kendrick earned her fourth save of the season, finishing the game with a pair of shutout innings.
- Bridgewater's Brooke Louden allowed six runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work en route to the loss.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Loving finished the day with four runs on four hits, two home runs and four RBI while Hodge scored twice on her four hits with a home run and two RBI.
- Thomas had three hits and drove in three runs while sophomore catcher Amanda Whitlow (Riner, Va.) went two-for-two with two runs and a hit by pitch.
Bridgewater Individual Leaders
- Guard led the Eagles with three hits, three RBI and two runs scored. Victoria Gontarz and Talley both had two hits and scored a run.
- Wharton finished the day with two hits and two RBI.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will play its third-straight doubleheader away from home on Tuesday when it travels to face Guilford College.
- First pitch for the ODAC twin-billing is at 3:00 p.m.
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