SALISBURY, Md. -- Brianna Bertovich belted two home runs, one a grand slam, and Kelly Keys added another round tripper to help Virginia Wesleyan College's softball Marlins close out the Salisbury University Invitational with an 8-4 win over Shenandoah University and a 12-1 victory over New York's Baruch College.
VWC, which extended a current winning streak to seven consecutive games, was the only team to finish 4-0 in a field of teams that included nationally ranked Christopher Newport University and host Salisbury. The Marlins are now 11-1 overall.
Big bats, heavy hitting, helped push the Marlins through the tournament, as VWC connected for eight home runs in the four games. Two were hit in the win against Shenandoah, which entered the game off an impressive 9-3 win over Salisbury.
But, the Marlins jumped on the Hornets (8-6) early, scoring twice in the top of the first inning with the help of a two-out, two-run homer from Bertovich (Richmond, Va./Monacan). She scored rookie Tori Higginbotham (Glen Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker), who led off and reached base when she was hit by a pitch.
Shenandoah cut the lead to one run with a score in the bottom of the inning and tied the game with a solo run in the bottom of the fourth. But, it didn't stay close for long, as Virginia Wesleyan came back with three runs in the top of the fifth, which included just one hit, a Bertovich RBI single.
The Hornets scored twice in the bottom of the inning to close within one run again, helped by McCabe who swatted a two-run homer over the center field fence.
That turned out to be the final scoring for Shenandoah, but not for VWC which iced the game with a three-run sixth. Keys (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park)hit a one-out homer and Higginbotham doubled in the inning.
Rookie MacKenzie Creech (Hillsborough,N.C./Orange)improved to 5-1 in the pitching circle for the Marlins. She struck out four, scatttered eight hits and allowed three earned runs in seven innings. Brooke Over (Roaring Spring, Pa./Northern Bedford) took the loss after five innings of work. She fanned six, but walked three and allowed seven hits and five earned runs.
Morgan Stephens (Culpeper, Va./Highland),Bertovich and Keys all had two hits to lead VWC. Ashley Plaugher (Winchester, Va./Millbrook) led Shenandoah with two hits.
Virginia Wesleyan closed the tournament with the win over the Bearcats (0-4) of Baruch, leading all the way.
The Marlins scored a run in the first and pulled away with three runs in each of the second and third innings. Junior Jaclyn Quinn (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory)doubled in two runs in the third and Higginbotham connected for an RBI single in the third.
Virginia Wesleyan put the game away with a five run fifth that included Bertovich's grand slam to end the game.
Paige Pritchett (Gordonsville, Va./Orange County)and Higginbotham topped VWC hitting with a pair of hits each. Five different Bearcats had one hit each for Baruch.
Sophomore Chrissy Crawford (Norfolk, Va./Granby) improved to 6-0 for the Marlins, pitching to 15 batters and striking out two. She walked three and allowed just two hits. Ashley Probasco (Plymouth, Mass./North) entered to close and struck out two of the eight batters she faced. She allowed three hits and one earned run.
Nicole Flint (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) took the pitching loss, fanning three batters, waling five and surrendering nine hits and four earned runs.
Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Thursday, Mar. 17, hosting the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College at 2:30 p.m. in a showdown of current Old Dominion Athletic Conference leaders. R-MC is now 14-2.
--AMDG--
