SALEM, Va. – The No. 16 Roanoke College Softball Team (18-5, 6-0 ODAC) remained perfect in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play as it swept a doubleheader with Emory & Henry College (10-13, 2-5 ODAC) Wednesday afternoon at the Moyer Sports Complex. The nationally-ranked Maroons won by scores of 11-2 and 8-1.
Game One – No. 16 Roanoke 11, Emory & Henry 2 (five innings)
E&H led off the game with a run in the top of the first as sophomore shortstop Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) singled to right field, driving in senior catcher Ashley Ebersole (Maurertown, Va.), who singled earlier in the frame.
The Maroons got on the board with six runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to four hits and three Wasp errors. A two-run home run by Stephanie Clark was the highlight of the inning.
Roanoke got five more runs for an 11-1 lead in the second. Alexis Roop hit a two-run shot for the second and third runs of the inning.
Emory & Henry got one run in the top of the fourth to make the score 11-2 as junior left fielder Sylvia Robbins (Smithfield, Va.) plated freshman third baseman Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.). The Wasps were not able to get within eight runs, and the Maroons took the first game via the Eight-Run Advantage Rule.
Clark picked up the win for Roanoke, scattering two runs and six hits over five innings of work with six strikeouts. Emory & Henry freshman Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) took the loss allowing two earned runs in 2.2 innings on five hits.
Game Two – No. 16 Roanoke 8, Emory & Henry 1
Roanoke broke open a 0-0 game in the bottom of the third as Clark her second home run of the day to make the score 1-0. Emory & Henry tied the contest at one as Anderson plated Ebersole with a one-out single to left field.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Maroons got six runs thanks to four hits and three Wasp errors. Meghan Weingard hit a two-run home run to highlight the inning as RC took a 7-1 lead. Roanoke added another insurance run in the fifth as Rhea Schleicher doubled to right field to score Kelly Higbie.
Four different Maroons had multi-hit games led by clarks who went two-for-three with two RBI and a run scored. Higbie picked up the win as she struck out eight and allowed just six hits in seven innings of work.
Emory & Henry sophomore Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in four innings of work. Sophomore Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.) pitched two innings of relief with one run allowed. Anderson finished the game two-for-three with a RBI to go three-for-five with two runs driven in on the day.
Emory & Henry will return home on Saturday to face Eastern Mennonite University in ODAC play at 1:00 p.m. The contest will serve as the Wasps' second annual Light It Up Blue game to raise awareness and support for autism research. Fans are encouraged to wear blue in support of the cause.
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