HARRISONBURG, Va. – The No. 17 Emory & Henry College Softball Team (17-3, 7-1 ODAC) moved into a tie for first place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with a pair of wins at Eastern Mennonite University (2-14, 0-10 ODAC) Sunday afternoon. The Wasps claimed game one by a 7-5 score and took the nightcap by a 9-1 "run-rule" margin.
The Basics
GAME ONE – No. 17 Emory & Henry 7, Eastern Mennonite 5
GAME TWO – No. 17 Emory & Henry 9, Eastern Mennonite 1 (six innings)
LOCATION – Harrisonburg, Virginia
VENUE – Gehman Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (17-3, 7-1 ODAC); Eastern Mennonite (2-14, 0-10 ODAC)
Game One – No. 17 Emory & Henry 7, Eastern Mennonite 5
Emory & Henry jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first with four straight RBI doubles from seniors Alex Braun (Lexington, S.C.) and Allyson Steadman (Kingsport, Tenn.), freshman Morgan Silvis (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) and senior Kendall Varner (Bassett, Va.). The Royals got a run back on a bases loaded walk by Erin Keith in the bottom of the frame.
In the second, EMU scored a pair of runs on hits by Bri Allen and Sierra Lantz to close the gap to 4-3. The Wasps responded in the third as Silvis tagged a solo home run. Two runs in the fourth by Eastern Mennonite tied the contest at five runs apiece as Emily Davis doubled to highlight the frame.
E&H regained the lead in the sixth when junior centerfielder Anna Thomas (Climax, N.C.) reached on an outfield error which allowed senior shortstop Kyndall Hiatt (Ararat, Va.) to score. Junior left fielder Nicole Cox (Cedar Falls, N.C.) drove in Thomas on the next at bat for the 7-5 final score.
Wasp freshman Avery Adkins (Goodview, Va.) earned the victory in relief, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five. EMU's Katelin Martin suffered the loss, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings of work.
Game Two – No. 17 Emory & Henry 9, Eastern Mennonite 1(six innings)
The Wasps broke open a scoreless game with four runs in the top of the third. Two runs scored on Braun's bases-loaded fielder's choice to get things going while Steadman and Silvis plated runs with a base hit and a sacrifice fly, respectively. Another sacrifice fly by Silvis in the fifth pushed the margin to 5-0.
Eastern Mennonite got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Keith hit a solo home run. Four runs for E&H in the sixth extended the lead to 9-1. Varner, Cox and Braun each had RBI doubles in the frame. After the Royals were unable to break into the scoring column in the bottom of the sixth, the contest ended via the "Eight-Run Advantage" rule.
Braun earned the win in the circle, allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts. Korenn Paige suffered the loss, permitting four runs on three hits in the first three innings of the contest.
Up Next
Emory & Henry returns home for a conference doubleheader against Ferrum College on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
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