EMORY, Va. – The Randolph-Macon College Softball Team (18-8, 12-6 ODAC) escaped with a two one-run victories over Emory & Henry College (21-9, 9-9 ODAC) Sunday afternoon at Wasps Field. The Yellow Jackets won game one, 1-0, and took the second contest by a 4-3 score.
E&H also celebrated Senior Day Sunday afternoon, honoring pitcher Brandy Bryant (Salem, Va.), pitcher/designated player Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.), outfielder Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) and pitcher Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.) prior to the start of game one.
Game One – Randolph-Macon 1, Emory & Henry 0
R-MC scored the lone run of the game in the top of the fourth. Madison Gilman doubled to right centerfield to lead off the innings and was bunted over to third by Katie Woody. Two batters later, Hayden Fontenot had a base-hit bunt on a squeeze play to bring home Gilman.
Emory & Henry loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth and had base runners in the sixth as well, but could not break onto the scoreboard.
Yellow Jacket Nelda Bagley got the shutout win in a pitcher's duel, allowing just seven hits while striking out 11. Bryant took the loss for the Wasps, allowing one run on seven hits with three strikeouts.
Game Two – Randolph-Macon 4, Emory & Henry 3
Emory & Henry got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second when freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) hit a two-run shot to left centerfield. She becomes just the third player in school history to have double-digit home runs in a season and the second freshman.
In the top of the third, Randolph-Macon answered to the game at two. Both of the Jackets' runs came on small ball as they employed the bunt game on four straight at bats.
E&H went back ahead in the bottom of the third when freshman centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) doubled to left centerfield to drive in junior left fielder Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.), who led off the inning with a single.
R-MC equalized a second time in the fourth to make the score 4-4. With Harley Jones on second base, Katie Woody singled to right field driving in Jones.
The next three innings went scoreless before Randolph-Macon took the lead in the top of the seventh on a double by Gilman which plated Sierra Ford.
The Wasps got two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh but the Yellow Jackets' defense and pitching held solid.
Gilman had two hits, a run and a RBI while Addi Johnson and Woody each tallied a pair of base knocks. Bagley came in to pitch the final two innings in relief, allowing just three hits while striking out three.
Elswick went three-for-three in the game for E&H while Hodge drove in two with her home run. Hillman suffered the loss in the circle, allowing three unearned runs on seven hits in the complete game.
Emory & Henry will return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Buena Vista, Virginia for a non-conference doubleheader with Southern Virginia University. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johston, E&H '15