GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Emory & Henry College Softball (18-2, 8-2 ODAC) split an Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader with Guilford College (17-9, 5-3 ODAC) Wednesday afternoon at Haworth Field. The Wasps took game one by a 3-2 score in eight innings but the Quakers responded with an 8-0 win in five frames.
Game One – Emory & Henry 3, Guilford 2 (eight innings)
E&H broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the third inning. After junior shortstop Alyssa Clark (Hiltons, Va.) doubled to lead off the inning, she was driven two batters later by a single by centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) for a 1-0 lead.
The Wasps made it 2-0 in the fourth on an infield single by sophomore second baseman Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) which plated freshman right fielder Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.), who doubled to left field earlier in the inning.
Guilford tied the contest at two runs apiece in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer to left field by Marty Wilcox. After a scoreless seventh inning, the contest went into extra innings.
Emory & Henry took the 3-2 advantage in the top of the eight as freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drove in Elswick with a single up the middle. The Wasps got two more runners aboard but could not extend their lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Quakers were able to move their runner to third base with two outs but a groundout to shortstop ended the inning and the game as Emory & Henry took the contest, 3-2.
Hodge and Pudney each had two hits and a RBI while Elswick had a hit, a run and a RBI. Senior Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.), the reigning ODAC Pitcher of the Week, earned the win, scattering two runs and four hits over eight innings of work with three strikeouts.
Wilcox provided the main offense for the Quakers with her sixth-inning round tripper. Maggie Shaffer suffered the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits.
Game Two – Guilford 8, Emory & Henry 0 (five innings)
GC started things off with two runs in the bottom of the first. Wilcox led off with a home run to left field, highlighting the frame.
After a scoreless second and third stanza, the Quakers added five runs in the fourth. Shelby Helms had a two-run single to left field with two outs while Wilcox added a RBI with a double to left.
In the bottom of the fifth, Guilford extended the lead, ending the game via the Eight-Run Advantage Rule. With Calli Pastor on first and one out, Wilcox came through again with a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-0.
Wilcox went two-for-three with two runs and three RBI while Taylor Boyd and Caroline Barnette added three hits each. Courtney Lackey earned the complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts.
Hodge, Pudney and junior first baseman Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) each had base hits in the contest. Senior Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.) suffered the loss to fall to 5-1 on the year.
Emory & Henry will return home on Friday for a non-conference doubleheader against Salem College. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15