BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (22-9) played its final non-conference contest of the season Wednesday, defeating Southern Virginia University (0-24) by a 17-3 score in six innings at Harvey-Dryden Field. Game two of the doubleheader was called off because of an injury, leaving the Knights with eight healthy players.

SVU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. With runners on first and third and two outs, an infield single by Keelie Gray drove in Jamie Pinkston, who led off the inning being hit by a pitch.

E&H got two runs in the third to go up 2-1 as sophomore first baseman Holly Eckard (Ringgold, Va.) and senior pitcher Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.) drove in runs.

The Knights retook the lead 3-2 thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a double to left field by Annie Biggs.

In the top of the fourth, the Emory & Henry offense finally awoke as they put five runs across the plate on three hits and three SVU errors for a 7-3 advantage. Eckard and Hillman tallied another pair of back-to-back RBI, these coming with two-out base hits.

The Wasps put the game away in the sixth, scoring 10 run to make the final score 17-3. Freshman designated player Jordan Whitcomb (Rocky Mount, Va.) drove in a pair with a two-out double while Eckard, freshman third baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) and senior right fielder Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) each had run-scoring doubles.

Hodge went three-for-four with four runs scored while Eckard notched two hits, three RBI and two runs. Hillman helped her cause with three hits and two RBI while sophomore catcher Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) added two hits and three RBI as well. Hillman allowed one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts in the complete-game.

SVU's Biggs had a hit, a run and a RBI while Pinkston and Cox had a hit and a run. Pinkston took the loss in the contest as the Wasps pounded out 14 hits on the day.

Emory & Henry will play its final doubleheader of the regular season on Saturday when it travels to face Shenandoah University in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference finale for both teams. The results of the games will have a big effect on seeding for the ODAC Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for noon.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15