FOREST, Va. – Emory & Henry College's Alex Braun has been named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Week, ODAC officials announced Monday afternoon. It is the first time this season that a Wasp has earned weekly league honors.
The senior pitcher/designated player from Lexington, South Carolina wins the award for the first time in her career. She went 8-for-12 (.667) on the week with six extra-base hits, driving in five and scoring three runs as the Wasps earned sweeps of Maryville (Tenn.) College and Meredith College. Braun posted a .692 on-base percentage and a 1.333 slugging average across the four games.
Additionally, she picked up two wins in the circle, allowing just three runs on nine hits in 12 innings pitched, all while striking out 20 with no walks. Her ERA for the week was a stingy 1.75 as she posted an 11.67 K/7 ratio.
Saturday against the Scots, Braun went 2-for-3 in game one with a double and a solo home run. She helped her cause in the second contest, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and two RBI while striking out 12 in a complete-game pitching effort.
Sunday facing the Avenging Angels, the William A. Hough High School product went 2-for-3 in game one with a pair of doubles, two RBI and a run scored. In the nightcap, she was 1-for-2 at the plate, scoring a run and took a perfect game into the fourth inning, finishing with a, four-hit performance in the circle, striking out eight in the shortened contest.
For the year, Braun is batting a league-leading .640 and also tops the conference in on-base percentage (.654), slugging (1.280), hits (16), doubles (7), home runs (3) and RBI (14). She is third in the league with four wins and 29 strikeouts, and has the fifth-best ERA at 2.04.
Emory & Henry (8-0, 0-0 ODAC) will put its unbeaten record to the test this coming weekend when it hosts a pair of split doubleheaders with No. 3 Christopher Newport University and No. 12 Transylvania University.
Saturday's action will see E&H face Transy at 10:00 a.m., and CNU at 12:30 p.m. The Pioneers and Captains will tangle at 3:00 p.m.
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