MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (35-15) split its pair of games on Saturday at the Mount Berry Regional of the 2017 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Wasps defeated Thomas More College (35-10) by a 6-3 score to start the day before seeing their historical season come to a close at the hands of No. 2 nationally-ranked Berry College (40-3).
The Basics
GAME FOUR – Emory & Henry 6, Thomas More 3
GAME FIVE – No. 2 Berry 15, Emory & Henry 3
LOCATION - Mount Berry, Georgia – Kay Williams Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (35-15); Thomas More (35-10); Berry (40-3)
Game Four – Emory & Henry 6, Thomas More 3
How It Happened
- TMC got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a pair of singles by Alix DeDreu and Andrea Grahan.
- The Wasps responded in the bottom of the frame when freshman left fielder Courtney Herron (Roanoke, Va.) drew a two-out walk, making the score 2-1.
- In the second, E&H got a pair of runs to go up 3-2. Junior centerfielder Leah Elswick (Honaker, Va.) started things off with a sacrifice fly and junior first baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drove in another score with base knock.
- Senior shortstop Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.) led the bottom of the third off with a first-pitch blast to left field, tying the school record for home runs in a season with 12.
- After Hodge plated another pair of runs with a single in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 6-2, Thomas More got one score back in the seventh on a single to left field by Dallis Knotts for the final 6-3 tally.
The Pitchers
- Junior right-hander Emily Kendrick (Honaker, Va.) earned her 20th win of the year, scattering one earned run and seven hits with three strikeouts.
- DeDreu suffered the loss, allowing six runs on 11 hits with two strikeouts.
The Interviews
Emory & Henry
Thomas More
Game Five – No. 2 Berry 15, Emory & Henry 3
How It Happened
- The nationally-ranked Vikings got out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Kenzie Fleming started things off with a two-run single to right field. A double by Sarah Moore in the second pushed the Berry advantage to 4-0.
- Emory & Henry responded with three runs in the bottom of the second as senior third baseman Ragan Halsey (Hillsville, Va.) tagged a two-run double to left centerfield. Senior catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) made it back-to-back two-baggers for the Wasps, driving in Halsey to cut the margin to 4-3.
- Single runs by Berry in the fourth and fifth made the score 6-3 before the Vikings' offense came alive in the sixth for nine runs including a grand slam by Kylie Aiken to cap the scoring at 15-3.
The Pitchers
- Kassie Howard went five innings, allowing three unearned runs on four hits with four strikeouts to earn the victory for Berry.
- E&H freshman Tiffany Cole (Wise, Va.) suffered the loss, pitching 4.2 innings.
The Interviews
Emory & Henry
Berry
---E&H---