EMORY, Va. - The Eastern Mennonite University Softball Team (16-10, 5-5 ODAC) picked up a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference wins over Emory & Henry College (10-15, 2-7 ODAC) Saturday afternoon at Wasps Field. The Royals rallied to defeat the Wasps, 10-8 in game one in extra innings and picked up a 10-6 win in the nightcap.
The contest also served as Emory & Henry's second annual "Light It Up Blue" game in support of the Autism Speaks foundation. The Wasps wore special jerseys and collected donations as part of the event.
Game One - Eastern Mennonite 10, Emory & Henry 8 (eight innings)
Emory & Henry took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore shortstop Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) drilled a three-run shot with one out for her third round-tripper of the season.
EMU got two runs in the top of the third as Brooke Hensley hit a two-run homer, plating Cheyenne Cash, who got things started with a two-out single.
The Wasps made it 4-2 in the bottom of the frame when junior centerfielder Cortney Halsey (Independence, Va.) scored on a throwing error by the catcher after reaching base on a lead-off single.
Hensley got her second home run of the day in the top of the fifth, this time a solo shot to close the gap to 4-3.
Emory & Henry responded with two runs in its half of the fifth as Halsey homered to lead the inning off. Junior second baseman Martha Fluharty (Halifax, N.C.) plated Anderson with a single later in the inning for the 6-3 advantage.
The Royals got four runs in the seventh to put the pressure on the Wasps. A three-run home run by Molly Smith highlighted the inning. E&H tied the contest in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings as freshman third baseman Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) doubled to score Anderson.
In the top of the eighth, EMU got three runs thanks to three hits and two E&H errors. The Wasps could only manage to score one in their last three outs to make the final score 10-8.
Hensley led all players as she was four-for-four with four RBI and three runs scored. Smith had three hits and three runs driven in as well for the Royals. Jordan Aylor picked up the win, fanning nine in eight innings of work.
Emory & Henry was led at the plate Anderson as she scored a trio of runs and drove in three more on two hits. She was one of four Wasps to have a multi-hit game in the series opener. Sophomore Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) took the loss in the circle allowing 14 hits in 7.1 innings with just four strikeouts.
Game Two - Eastern Mennonite 10, Emory & Henry 6
The Wasps started things off in the second game just as they did in the first with three runs in the bottom of the first. This time it came by a two-RBI single by Fluharty and a run-scoring single by freshman first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.).
EMU got five runs on six hits in the second to make the score 5-3. Casey Racer highlighted things with a two-RBI double. In the third, the Royals added two more runs for a 7-3 lead. Smith hit her second homer of the day, this one a two-run shot.
E&H got three runs back in the bottom of the third as Bays knocked a three-run homer, her seventh on the year to close the gap to 7-6.
In the top of the fourth, Eastern Mennonite added another run and got another two in the top of the seventh. Courtney Allman had a two-run homer in the last inning for the 10-6 final score.
The Royals were led by Smith at the plate with three hits, two RBI and two runs. Allman and Racer each drove in a pair and scored twice. Aylor picked up her second win of the day, this one in relief as she pitched the final 6.2 in five-hit fashion with four strikeouts.
Bays went two-for-three with three RBI while Fluharty drove in two for Emory & Henry. Six different Wasps scored during the game. Freshman Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits in three innings of work.
Emory & Henry will host Bridgewater College on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., in an ODAC doubleheader.
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