TUCSON, Ariz. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (6-8) continued competition on Saturday in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Wasps started the day by concluding Friday night's game against the Athenas of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, rallying from five runs down, before falling 8-7.
In the afternoon session, E&H fell by a 4-0 score to No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan University and lost a 6-5 thriller to Babson College in the nightcap.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8, Emory & Henry 7 (completion of Friday night game)
FINAL SCORE – No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan 4, Emory & Henry 0
FINAL SCORE – Babson 6, Emory & Henry 5
LOCATION – Tucson, Arizona
VENUE – Lincoln Regional Park's Julie Reitan Softball Complex
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (6-8), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8-8), Illinois Wesleyan (4-1), Babson (2-1)
Game Two – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8, Emory & Henry 2 (completion of Friday night game)
The teams returned to action at 9:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. Eastern) with the score 7-2 in favor of CMS with two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the third. The Wasps were unable to get another run in the third as both teams held through the fourth.
In the fifth frame, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps extended its lead to 8-2 on a single to centerfield by Ananya Koneti. The Wasps responded with three in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of two hits and a pair of errors by the Athenas. Senior catcher Alex Thomas (Orlando, Fla.) and junior third baseman Allyson Steadman (Kingsport, Tenn.) provided RBI singles to right.
E&H continued its rally in the bottom of the seventh, getting runners on the corners with no outs. Junior Alex Braun (Cornelius, N.C.) drove in one as she reached on an error by the second baseman while Steadman go the Wasps within one, 8-7, with her RBI single up the middle.
Emory & Henry was unable to push another run across as its rally came up just short, 8-7. CMS's Heather Shipley pitched a total of five innings, earning the win as she allowed two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Braun suffered the loss, permitting two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Game Three – No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan 4, Emory & Henry 0
The Titans broke open a scoreless game with two runs in the top of the third, highlighted by a solo home run to centerfield by Sam Berghoff. In the fourth, IWU added a run on a fielder's choice and made it 4-0 through five on Brittany Murphy's base hit to center.
Ally Weigand posted a dominating performance for Illinois Wesleyan, striking out 13 E&H batters as she recorded a no-hitter. Wasp junior Cameron Derr (Cornelius, N.C.) suffered the loss, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts.
Game Four – Babson 6, Emory & Henry 5
Babson got on the board in the bottom of the second on a two-run single by Lexi Morris. The Wasps made it 2-1 in the third when senior Leanna Toler (Abingdon, Va.) scored after a fielding error and tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth as Toler notched a bases-loaded infield single.
E&H took a 4-2 lead in the fifth, highlighted by sophomore centerfielder Anna Thomas' (Climax, N.C.) solo home run to straightaway centerfield. The squads traded runs in the bottom of the fifth and top of the seventh with freshman Emily Scaggs (Riner, Va.) scoring on a wild pitch to make it a 5-3 game.
The Beavers got two runners aboard in the bottom of the seventh, plating the first on a fielder's choice. With two outs and the bases loaded, Babson tied the game as Kate Karamou drew a walk and earned the come-from-behind victory on Marlee Hamor's single up the middle, 6-5.
Kate Gademsky picked up the win for the Beavers, scattering four earned runs on 10 hits and seven strikeouts over seven innings of work. Baun suffered the loss for E&H, permitting four earned runs on five hits while walking nine.
Up Next
The Wasps will conclude play in the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Sunday morning, facing Pacific Lutheran University at 9:00 a.m. (noon EDT) and Emerson College at 11:00 a.m. (2:00 p.m. EDT).
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