VIRGINIA BEACH -- After knocking out nine hits en route to 6-1 victory over the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets on Thursday, the host Virginia Wesleyan College Marlins connected for eight more in the second game, but could not come up with the big one.

Randolph-Macon scored two runs early and held on for a 3-1 decision at Marlins Field, where the Marlins put runners on base in six of the seven innings played.  But, the usual big hits that spark the VWC offense did not happen and the runners were left stranded.

Rookie Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) was 3-for-3 at the plate for the Marlins (12-2, 3-1), while rookie Tori Higginbotham (Glenn Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker) and junior Brianna Bertovich (Richmond, Va./Monacan) both connected for two hits. 

Virginia Wesleyan led 1-0 after the first inning as Bertovich singled in Higginbotham, who led off the inning with a single.

R-MC (15-3, 6-1) tied the game in the top of the second when Megan Shepherd (South Hill, Va./Park View) led off with a home run over the left field fence.  A Lauren Nanny (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) single scored Michalann Camp (Courtland, Va./Southampton) with the second run that gave the Jackets the lead for good.

The game featured two undefeated pitchers in VWC's Chrissy Crawford (Norfolk, Va./Granby)and R-MC's Kristen Dize (Onancock, Va./Nandua).  Crawford fell to 6-1, facing 26 batters and striking out two.  She allowed a walk, five hits and three earned runs.  Dize improved to 6-0, facing 22 batters and striking out one, walking one, allowing six hits and one earned run.

Game one also featured two of the top pitchers in the ODAC, with VWC rookie MacKenzie Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange)emerging as the winner.  She pitched the distance, striking out six batters, walking three and allowing just three hits and one earned run, as she improved to 6-1 overall.  R-MC ace Heather Lewis (Glenn Allen, Va./Deep Run) dropped to 9-3 after three innings of work.  Brandi Wilson (Goochland, Va./Goochland) entered in relief.

R-MC led 1-0 after the top of the first inning, but VWC grabbed the lead for good with a three-run answer in the bottom of the inning.  Brenae Pettit (Onancock, Va./Nandua) singled, Jaclyn Quinn (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory)drew a walk, and Bertovich knocked out a single into left to score both runners, with the help of an overthrow at the plate.  Bertovich scored later when Morgan Stephens (Culpeper, Va./Highland) singled.

Virginia Wesleyan tacked on solo runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, and backed Creech's pitching with alert defensive play to keep the Jackets without a major threat.

Quinn, Bertovich and Shannon all belted two hits each for VWC.  Combined with her effort in the second game, Bertovich has hit safely in nine consecutive games. 

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Friday, Mar. 18, in a non-conference doubleheader at Stevenson University in Owings Mill, Md.  Game time is 2 p.m.

--AMDG--