VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Virginia Wesleyan College Softball Team (19-4, 7-0 ODAC) rallied to defeat Emory & Henry College (8-11, 0-3 ODAC) on Sunday afternoon at Marlins Field by a 9-8 score. The second game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader was suspended in the top of the second inning due to wintry weather. A makeup date for the contest has not yet been set.
Emory & Henry got out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the first. After freshman right fielder Kaitlyn Pruitt (Abingdon, Va.) hit a one-out single through the left side, senior catcher Ashley Ebersole (Maurertown, Va.) hit a two-run home run to stay atop the ODAC with nine on the season.
The Marlins answered with three runs in the bottom of the first and second innings for a 6-2 advantage. Season Dailey hit a two-run double to left centerfield in the second to highlight the frames.
In the top of the third, the Wasps responded with four runs to knot the game at six. Sophomore shortstop Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.), junior second baseman Martha Fluharty (Halifax, N.C.) and junior left fielder Sylvia Robbins (Smithfield, Va.) each had RBI singles in the frame.
E&H got two more runs in the top of the fourth. Freshman third baseman Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) hit a two-out single to centerfield to plate Ebersole and Fluharty scored when Robbins drew a walk with the bases loaded to make the score 8-6.
Virginia Wesleyan responded in the bottom of the fourth to tie the contest at eight highlited by a double to centerfield by Taylor Galvin. The Marlins got the winning run in the bottom of the sixth when Lindsey Inzana hit a solo shot to lead off the inning.
Emory & Henry got two runners on in the top of the seventh, but was unable to score, falling 9-8.
Galvin and Tori Higginbotham both went three for four in the game while Inzana and Kelly Keys each had two hits. MacKenzie Creech picked up the win in relief, striking out five in the final three innings with just two hits.
Robbins and Pruitt each had a pair of hits for E&H while Ebersole drove in two runs and scored three times. Sophomore Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) went the distance for the Wasps, falling to 2-6 on the season.
Emory & Henry will next take the field on Saturday when it travels to Sweet Briar College for an ODAC doubleheader. First pitch between the Wasps and Vixens is set for 1:00 p.m.
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