EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (21-9, 7-7 ODAC) split a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference games with Guilford College (22-12, 7-9 ODAC) Sunday afternoon. The Quakers won game one, 3-1, while the Wasps claimed the nightcap by an 8-4 score.
The twin-billing served as Senior Day for Emory & Henry, as the Wasps honored seniors Martha Fluharty (Halifax, N.C.), Cortney Halsey (Independence, Va.) and Sylvia Robbins (Smithfield, Va.).
Game One – Guilford 3, Emory & Henry 1
The Quakers got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Rachel Howard singled up the middle to drive in a run. Taylor Boyd pushed another run across for Guilford on the next at bat when she grounded out to the shortstop.
GC made it 3-0 in the top of the fifth. After Boyd was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Laura Hall drew a walk to bring home a run.
Emory & Henry got on the board in the bottom of the sixth frame. With two outs and freshman Devynne Stiltner (Meadowview, Va.) on second base, freshman third baseman Ragan Halsey (Hillsville, Va.) singled into left field, driving in the Wasps' first run of the game.
In the bottom of the seventh, E&H found itself in position to tie the game with one out and runners on second and third. However, the Guilford defense was able to turn a double play getting the final out of the game at home plate.
Howard and Cynthia Hayes were both two-for-four in the game while Howard drove in a run and Hayes scored once. Maggie Shaffer picked up the complete-game win, scattering five hits and four strikeouts over seven innings of work, allowing just one run.
E&H managed only five hits in the contest, led by junior Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.) and Ragan Halsey, who both reached safely in the sixth. Sophomore right-hander Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with four walks in seven innings.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 8, Guilford 4
Guilford got on the board in the top of the first on a single to left centerfield by Boyd, scoring Hayes.
Emory & Henry responded in the bottom of the second with five runs. Freshman catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) highlighted the six-hit inning with a two-RBI single through the left side. Freshman shortstop Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.), Robbins, and Hillman also had run-scoring base hits in the frame.
Guilford closed the gap to 5-3 in the fourth on a pair of singles down the right field line by Steffi Sides and Casey Snead.
The Wasps bounced back in the bottom half of the inning with two runs. With one out and runners on second and third, Chrisley executed a perfect squeeze play, driving in Cortney Halsey. Hillman followed it up on the next at bat with a single to right centerfield, plating Robbins. E&H got its eighth run in the bottom of the fifth when Pudney singled through the left side to plate sophomore pinch runner Kaitlyn Pruitt (Abingdon, Va.).
Guilford made things interesting in the top of the seventh stanza. Back-to-back two-out singles pushed a runner across, but Emory & Henry got the final out of the game and sealed the 8-4 win.
Chrisley went two-for-three with three RBI while Hillman and Pudney drove in two on two hits each. Robbins scored twice while sophomore first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) added a pair of base knocks. Junior Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) picked up the win, allowing just four runs on 11 hits in 6.2 innings.
Guilford was led by Boyd's three-for-four day at the plate while Hays had two hits and scored two runs. Sides and Hall also notched a pair of hits each. Snead took the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings.
Emory & Henry will next take the field on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. when it visits Randolph College for an ODAC doubleheader.
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