BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (13-1) claimed a pair of non-conference wins over Bluefield College (0-20) Wednesday afternoon at the Bluefield Area Softball Field. The Wasps won game one 10-0 in five innings and picked up a come-from-behind 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
Game One – Emory & Henry 10, Bluefield 0 (five innings)
The Wasps got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when freshman centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) scored on a wild pitch. Emory & Henry added two runs in the second when junior shortstop Alyssa Clark (Hiltons, Va.) plated a pair with a single to left centerfield.
In the top of the third, E&H sophomore second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) singled to lead things off and came home on the next at bat when freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) hammered a two-run shot over the left field fence. The Wasps added two more runs in the fourth for a 7-0 advantage thanks to a sacrifice fly by Elswick and a single through the left side by junior first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.).
Emory & Henry made the final score 10-0 in the fifth on a two-run double to centerfield by senior pitcher Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.) and a RBI groundout by freshman Samantha Klein (Louisville, Ky.).
Pudney was one of four Wasps to notch two hits as she added a pair of runs. Hillman also went two-for-three with two RBI as she also earned the shutout, scattering seven hits over five innings pitched.
Kasey Holcolmb went three-for-three for the Lady Rams at the plate while Eryn Haley suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits with just two strikeouts.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 6, Bluefield 5
Bluefield struck first with a two-run single up the middle by Kristen Murphy in the first inning. Emory & Henry got one run back in the top of the fourth when senior designated player Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) reached base after a strikeout on a passed ball. Hodge scored from third base on the play.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Rams scored three runs to go up 5-1. Michaela Carter led off the inning with a solo home run and with two runners on base and two outs, Andrea Christian drove in two with her single to left centerfield.
E&H started a rally in the top of the sixth frame. With two outs and the bases loaded, Pudney drew a walk to bring home Doss. Elswick stepped into a pinch-hitter role and cleared the bases with her first career grand slam, giving the Wasps a 6-5 lead.
Bluefield would place two runners aboard in both the sixth and seventh, but the Emory & Henry pitchers and defense held strong for the come-from-behind win.
The Wasps only managed five hits in game two but got two of them in the sixth when it mattered. Senior Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.) earned the win in relief as she pitched 1.1 innings with two strikeouts. Senior Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.) picked up the save, shutting down the Lady Rams in 1.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts as well.
Carter had three hits, two runs and a RBI while Murphy and Christian had two hits and two RBI each. Brienna Sparks suffered the loss, allowing six unearned runs on five hits despite striking out 13 batters.
Emory & Henry will return to Old Dominion Athletic Conference play on Saturday when it travels to face Eastern Mennonite University in a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15