EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (13-23, 4-14 ODAC) scored 42 runs on 40 hits over the course of its doubleheader sweep of Sweet Briar College (0-22, 0-18 ODAC) Sunday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action. The Wasps won by scores of 15-2 and 27-1, sending the squad's two seniors off in impressive fashion.
Game One – Emory & Henry 15, Sweet Briar 2 (five innings)
Emory & Henry got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and pushed its lead to 7-0 after three complete frames. Freshman second baseman Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) and junior right fielder Courtney Perkinson (Chesapeake, Va.) each had two-RBI singles early in the game.
Sweet Briar got on the board in the fourth on a double down the left field line by Nikki Thompson, scoring Hollie Halford from second base.
The Wasps plated eight runs in the bottom of the fourth frame on seven hits highlighted by a two-run double by freshman designated player Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.). Sophomore first baseman Jennifer True (Utica, N.Y.) and junior centerfielder Veronica Blankenship (Roanoke, Va.) each had extra-base hits as well in the inning.
The Vixens were able to plate once more in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Brooke Scott, but the requirements of the Eight-Run Advantage Rule had been fulfilled as the Wasps won by a 15-2 score.
Anderson was three-for-three in the game with three RBI and two runs scored while True and Perkinson each had two hits and three RBI.
E&H freshman Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) picked up the win in the circle, allowing just two runs on three hits and five strikeouts. Christen Campbell suffered the loss for Sweet Briar.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 27, Sweet Briar 1 (five innings)
E&H scored seven runs in the first inning and never looked back, en route to its largest win of the season.
The Wasps added 12 runs in the second highlighted by a two-run home run to left centerfield by junior catcher Ashley Ebersole (Maurertown, Va.) and a two-run shot by senior left fielder Nicole Holdaway (Blacksburg, Va.) later in the inning. Holdaway's home run was the first of her college career.
After E&H added two more runs in the bottom of the third, Sweet Briar got on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run by Campbell to left centerfield.
Emory & Henry added six more runs in the fourth to make the score 27-1. Senior shortstop Jenae Morrissey (Utica, N.Y.) led off the inning with a solo home run to centerfield, one of her four hits in the game, each of which went for extra bases.
Six different Emory & Henry players had three or more hits in the nightcap as Ebersole and Holdaway were each just a triple away from batting for the cycle.
Grimm picked up the complete game victory for E&H, scattering five hits and six strikeouts over five innings of work. Janiecia Mitchell took the loss for the Vixens.
Emory & Henry must wait until Wednesday evening to learn its fate for the 2012 ODAC Tournament. The Wasps still have a chance to reach the postseason, but tiebreaker scenarios have not yet been deciphered since there are still to be played.
---E&H---