ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Emory & Henry College Softball Team (12-7) got back on the winning track on Saturday, picking up a pair of wins at Claflin University (2-6). The Wasps won game one, 5-2, and claimed the nightcap with a 9-1 victory in six innings.
The Basics
GAME ONE – Emory & Henry 5, Claflin 2
GAME TWO – Emory & Henry 9, Claflin 1 (six innings)
LOCATION – Orangeburg, South Carolina
VENUE – Dorothy Neely Softball Complex
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (12-7); Claflin (2-6, 0-0 CIAA)
Game One – Emory & Henry 5, Claflin 2
E&H jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as freshman third baseman Lydia Taylor (Salem, Va.) hit a two-run double down the left field line. The Panthers closed the gap to 2-1 when Brenay Howard scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the first.
In the fifth, senior centerfielder Anna Thomas (Climax, N.C.) plated fifth-year first baseman Kendall Varner (Bassett, Va.) with a double to centerfield.
Claflin again got within one (3-2) in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Marion Goins. The Wasps scored twice in the seventh for the 5-2 final score. Freshman right fielder Mackenzie Williams (St. Augustine, Fla.) had a base hit to drive in one and Thomas plated another on a squeeze play.
Sophomore Avery Adkins (Goodview, Va.) earned the complete-game win, striking out 12 as she allowed one earned run on seven hits. Bre'Zhay Chambers suffered the loss with five runs on seven hits and four strikeouts.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 9, Claflin 1(six innings)
The Wasps opened the game with two runs in the first, highlighted by a RBI triple to left field. In the second, junior catcher Dacey Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to make the score 3-0.
E&H put another two runs across in the fifth on a base hit by Williams as freshman right fielder Grace Harper (Williamsburg, Va.) had a sacrifice fly later in the frame. In the sixth, Emory & Henry plated four runs including a two-run inside-the-park home run by junior catcher Julia Street (Glade Spring, Va.) to lead 9-0.
Claflin scored once in the bottom of the sixth as Olivia Montgomery drove in Brenay Howard on a fielder's choice. The Panthers could not get within eight runs and the game ended with a 9-1 score after six innings.
Thomas earned her second win of the year, scattering one run on four hits with six strikeouts. Shaniya Thomas took the loss for Claflin, allowing eight runs on seven this with three strikeouts.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will visit the Sunshine State on Tuesday for its next pair of games on its Spring Break trip. The Wasps will face the Panthers of the Florida Institute of Technology at 1:00 p.m.
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