LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Randolph College Softball Team (16-10, 5-3 ODAC) picked up a pair of one-run wins over Emory & Henry College (8-16, 1-7 ODAC) Sunday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play. The WildCats came from behind to win game one, 4-3, and took a 3-2 victory in the nightcap.
Game One – Randolph 4, Emory & Henry 3
Emory & Henry got on the board first with three runs in the top of the third. With two runners on and two outs, freshman designated player Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) singled to centerfield, scoring one. Sophomore third baseman Martha Fluharty (Halifax, N.C.) then doubled to centerfield, clearing the bases for the Wasps.
Randolph responded in the bottom half of the inning. The WildCats got two runs on three hits and took advantage of two Wasp errors to close the gap to 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Randolph was able to take the lead. With two outs and two runners on, Jessica Sanabria doubled down the left field line, driving in two runs. E&H got two runners on base in the bottom half of the frame, but the WildCat defense was able to hold on for the 4-3 win.
Kristen Hutchinson got the win in relief for Randolph, pitching four scoreless innings with just two hits and three strikeouts. Logan Carter picked up the save. Emory & Henry sophomore Jennifer True (Utica, N.Y.) fell to 5-8 on the year with the loss, scattering nine hits and three earned runs over six innings of work.
Game Two – Randolph 3, Emory & Henry 2
Randolph took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning behind a two-run single to right field by Brittany Willingham. The WildCats would extend their lead to 3-0 in the fourth. With Kaitlin Mills on third after a one-out triple, she came home thanks to a wild pitch.
In the top of the fifth, Emory & Henry got into the game. With runners on second and third and two outs, junior right fielder Courtney Perkinson (Chesapeake, Va.) hit a single to left centerfield to drive in both runners and make the score 3-2.
Both teams played solid defensively the rest of the game as the final score would remain 3-2 in favor of the home-standing WildCats.
Brittney Via picked up the win in the circle for Randolph in four innings of work while Carter picked up her second save of the day. Freshman Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.) was credited with the loss for E&H while freshman Brandy Bryant (Salem,Va.) pitched 3.1 innings in relief where she struck out three.
Offensively for Randolph, Patti Vinson and Gina Pagano were each three-for-six on the day while Vinson had two doubles. Willingham finished the afternoon two-for-six with two RBI.
E&H was led at the plate by Perkinson as she went two-for-five with three walks, two RBI and a run scored. Fluharty was also two-for-five with a walk and was also hit by a pitch while driving in two runs.
Emory & Henry will return home on Wednesday as it hosts Virginia Intermont College at 2:00 p.m. The games will serve as "Light It Up Blue" Day in support of Autism Speaks. The E&H Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be on hand to collect donations for this worthy cause.
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