EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team picked up an 11-5 victory over the Ferrum College Panthers on Saturday evening to wrap up their fall season. The Wasps fell to ODAC-rival Randolph College by a score of 4-3 and to Patrick Henry Community College by a score of 6-3 earlier in the day.
Junior Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) picked up the win in the circle versus Ferrum and all nine E&H players in the lineup recorded at least one hit. The Wasps jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning and never looked back cruising to an 11-3 lead after five innings of play. The teams elected to play the final two innings to get in some extra work, although in the regular season, the game would have ended after five frames via the Eight-Run Advantage Rule.
Ferrum had defeated Patrick Henry and Randolph earlier in the day before faltering against E&H. "The win against Ferrum was a great team victory," said first-year Head Coach Tommy Forrester. "The morale in the dugout was superb for all seven innings and we stepped up on the field. It seemed like every inning, there was a huge defensive play or a huge two-out hit. I couldn't be more proud of our team."
The Wasps' fall season was very successful according to their new leader. The team started a couple of new events that Forrester hopes will become fall ball traditions. One of these events was the inaugural Blue/Gold World Series. During their second week of practice, the team divided into two teams and played a best of five series. After dropping the first two games of the series, the Gold team bounced back to win the final three games and claim the title. The first four games were played at Seymour High School in Sevierville, Tennessee during a weekend that included team bonding, team building, and goal setting. The final game was played on Emory & Henry's home field.
The team also played its first Alumni Softball doubleheader which was followed by a cookout with both alumni and the current players. Eight alumni came back to campus to compete against the current team. The current Wasps claimed victories in both games, but according to Forrester, this event was not necessarily about winning and losing. "The alumni game was a great event. It was awesome to see our current players and alumni on the field together bonding. This game was about unity, respect, and passion for the game," Forrester added.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was seeing 2004 graduate Sarah Caldwell Wellenhoffer return to the circle to pitch the final inning. Wellenhoffer was the ace pitcher on the Wasps' 2003 ODAC championship team. Other alumni that participated were current Assistant Coach Jenae Morrissey, Sierra Waters, Rue Atkins Hamilton, Robin Phelps, Ashley Ebersole, Veronica Blankenship and Shannon Kelly Mason.
Former head coach Shannon Farley Piedmont was also in attendance at the game. Piedmont coached at E&H from 1998 until 2007 and is the most successful softball coach in the history of the program. In 10 seasons, she notched 195 career victories and led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2003.
Freshman infielder Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) said, "My favorite part was being able to play with so many people who love the game as much as I do and it was cool playing with generations of softball players that have been involved in the softball program. In a way, it was like a big family reunion."
Next up for E&H is winter conditioning before the regular season begins next semester. The Wasps open at North Carolina Wesleyan on Sunday, February 16 at 1:00 p.m.
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