EMORY, Va. – The No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan College Softball Team (18-2, 7-1 ODAC) picked up a doubleheader sweep of Emory & Henry College (13-5, 0-4 ODAC) Sunday afternoon. The Marlins won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference twin-bill by scores of 10-2 and 10-1.
Game One – No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan 10, Emory & Henry 2
Emory & Henry got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. After freshman catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) singled to lead things off, sophomore first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) hit a two-out home run to centerfield, giving the Wasps the advantage.
The Marlins responded with a two-run home run of their own in the top of the second. Kayla Dost tagged a ball over the left field fence, plating Kristina Karagiorgis who reached on an infield single one batter earlier.
Virginia Wesleyan added five more runs in the top of the fourth to break the game open. Andrea Shannon highlighted the five-hit frame with a two-run single to centerfield. Tori Higginbotham also had a run-scoring triple for the Marlins.
In the top of the fifth, VWC added three more runs to set the table for the Eight-Run Advantage Rule to come into play. Taylor Galvin got the scoring started with a RBI double while Shannon plated a pair with a two-run shot to right centerfield.
E&H got a baserunner in the bottom of the fifth, but was unable to push any other runs across as the game ended after five, 10-2.
Shannon led Virginia Wesleyan with a two-for-three performance and four RBI and two runs scored. Dost had two hits, two runs and two RBI while Galvin and Season Dailey each had a pair of hits. McKenzie Creech picked up the win in the circle, allowing just two runs on three hits with five strikeouts.
Emory & Henry was paced by Doss' first-inning home run while Chrisley and freshman centerfielder Devynne Stiltner (Meadowview, Va.) each had base knocks. Junior right-hander Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) took the loss, allowing 11 hits with just one strikeout in 4.2 innings pitched.
Game Two – No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan 10, Emory & Henry 1
After a scoreless first frame, Virginia Wesleyan exploded for six runs in the top of the second. Shannon got a two-run triple down the right-field line while Dost plated a pair on a single through the left side later in the inning.
The Marlins made it 9-0 in the fourth with a trio of runs. Higginbotham hit a solo home run to left field while Dailey and Lindsay Inzana each had a RBI in the frame.
Emory & Henry got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Senior second baseman Martha Fluharty (Halifax, N.C.) started things off with a single to right centerfield and with sophomore Kaitlin Pruitt (Abingdon, Va.) pinch running, Doss got her third RBI of the day with a single up the middle to make it 9-1.
VWC made the final margin 10-1 with a run in the top of the fifth. Courtney Bogan hit a ground-rule double to right field to get things started and two batters later was driven home on Dost's single up the middle.
Dost was three-for-three in the game with three RBI and a run scored for the Marlins. Bogan and Galvin had two hits each while Shannon drove in a pair with her base knock. Karagiorgis picked up the win, scattering four hits and five strikeouts over four innings of work.
Fluharty had two hits for E&H while Chrisley and Doss also reached base safely with Doss driving in a run. Sophomore Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) suffered the loss, falling to 5-2 on the year.
Emory & Henry will next take the field on Saturday, March 29 when it travels to Lynchburg for a ODAC doubleheader with the Lynchburg College Hornets. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
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