EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (29-11, 13-7 ODAC) split its final two games of the regular season Tuesday, playing an Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader against Lynchburg College (27-13, 12-8 ODAC). The Wasps took game one by a 4-3 score while the Hornets salvaged the split with a 6-4 nine-inning victory in game two.
The doubleheader also served as Senior Day for Emory & Henry, which honored Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.), Ragan Halsey (Hillsville, Va.), Alison Hughs (Elizabethton, Tenn.), Danielle Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.), Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, N.C.) and Brittany Scott (Elizabethton, Tenn.) between games.
The Basics
GAME ONE – Emory & Henry 4, Lynchburg 3
GAME TWO – Lynchburg 6, Emory & Henry 4 (nine innings)
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia – Wasps Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (29-11, 13-7 ODAC); Lynchburg (27-13, 12-8 ODAC)
Game One
- Lynchburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Mackenzie Chitwood doubled to right field.
- Emory & Henry answered in the bottom of the first as Loving tagged a two-out, two-run shot over the right centerfield wall for a 2-1 advantage.
- The Hornets went up by a 3-2 score in the third on a RBI single by Chitwood and a sacrifice fly by Logan Walker.
- In the bottom of the fourth, E&H tied the contest at three runs apiece on a pinch-hit single down the left field line by freshman Courtney Herron (Roanoke, Va.), which drove in Chrisley.
- The Wasps went ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth on a pinch-hit solo home run by freshman Alex Thomas (Orlando, Fla.).
- Junior Emily Kendrick (Honaker, Va.) earned her 16th win of the year, scattering three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts over seven innings.
- LC's Conner English suffered the loss, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts in three innings of relief.
Game Two
- After two and a half innings of scoreless softball, Emory & Henry put three runs on the board in the bottom of the third. Junior first baseman Caley Hodge (Elizabethton, Tenn.) drilled a two-run home run to get things started and Loving made it back-to-back round trippers on the next at bat.
- LC trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth on a pair of RBI base hits by Brittany Coffey and Gabby Solomita.
- In the fifth, Lynchburg took a 4-3 advantage as Kelsey Kinnamon doubled to right centerfield, driving in a pair.
- Emory & Henry tied the game at 4-all in the bottom half of the fifth on a double down the left field by Thomas, plating Loving.
- The sixth, seventh and eighth innings went scoreless as both defenses made big plays with runners in scoring position.
- The Hornets got the go-ahead runs in the top of the ninth, as Logan Walker reached on an error to score one run and Coffey singled down the left field line to drive in the other.
- Stephanie Hogan earned the win in relief, allowing just two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
- Kendrick threw five innings in relief, allowing two unearned runs on four hits despite the loss.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Hodge went three-for-five with two walks, two runs and two RBI while Loving added three extra-base hits, three runs and three RBI.
- Thomas had a pair of base hits, two RBI and a run scored while Halsey added two hits of her own.
Lynchburg Individual Leaders
- Skylar Dickens had four hits and scored two runs while Kayla Hugate and Coffee each had three hits and a run scored.
- Chitwood drove in a pair on three hits while Kinnamon had two RBI with her two doubles.
Notable
- E&H win over LC in game one was the first time since the 2012 ODAC Tournament that the Wasps defeated the Hornets. Emory & Henry eliminated Lynchburg from the tournament by a 9-5 score.
- Emory & Henry's 13 ODAC wins are the most in program history.
- The Wasps' 29-11 regular-season record is the second-best in program history. The 2002 team went 30-10-1 prior to the postseason.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry now will await the announcement of the pairings for the 2017 ODAC Tournament, which will come with the completion of regular season games on Wednesday afternoon.
- The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be played at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia beginning on Friday at noon and running through Sunday afternoon.
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