VIRGINIA BEACH -- Chrissy Crawford and MacKenzie Creech are two happy pitchers.

The Virginia Wesleyan College duo is happy not only because they're winning, but also because they're being backed by heavy-hitting teammates who have helped the Marlins jump out to a 7-1 season start, including Monday's 14-2, 14-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference sweep of Emory & Henry College (3-3, 0-2).

The Marlins' bats boomed for 30 hits at Marlins Field on Monday, with consistent hitting from almost every VWC player in the lineup.  Junior Brenae Pettit (Onancock, Va./Nandua) was among the most consistent, connect for a 5-for-6 showing in the two games to increase her current hitting streak to six consecutive games. 

Junior Jaclyn Quinn (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory)  belted out four hits, including a pair of doubles, and Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring), Morgan Stephens (Culpeper, Va./Highland) and Megan Zahnd (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) all connected for three hits each. 

Back in the pitching circle, Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) and Crawford (Norfolk, Va./Granby)both picked up victories, improving to 3-1 and 4-0, respectively.  Creech threw for four innings, striking out nine batters and scattering seven hits and two earned runs.  Crawford also worked four innings, striking out six batters, walking two and allowing just three hits and one earned run.  Ashley Probasco (Plymouth, Mass./North) pitched the final inning of each game for VWC.

Virginia Wesleyan bolted out to a 5-0 lead in the first game,connected for five hits in the inning, including a Quinn double.  The Marlins batted around in the inning and did the same in the second, tacking on five more runs off five more hits, including a double from rookie Season Dailey (Norfolk, Va./Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox).

Emory & Henry started off a little better in the second game when Ashley Ebersole (Maurertown, Va./Central) smashed the ball over the left field fence as the lead off hitter. But, that's where it ended for the Wasps.

Virginia Wesleyan answered in the bottom of the inning with six runs off four hits, with the highlight blast delivered by rookie Megan Bell-Hill (Chesterfield, Va./Cosby).  She launched the ball over the right field fence, hitting the scoreboard, and driving in a pair of runs.  VWC added four runs in the second and four more in the third to pull away for good.

Jennifer True (Utica, N.Y./Thomas R. Proctor) took the pitching loss for E&H in the first game and Sierra Waters (Kingsport, Tenn./Dobyns-Bennett) absored the loss in the second game.  True struck out two batters, walked five and gave up 15 hits.  Waters walked one and allowed 15 hits in the second game.

Waters also led the Wasps with a pair of hits, including a double in the first game.  Jamie Price (Salem, Va./Salem) connected for a home run.  Ebersole's homer in the second game highlighted the Wasps' three-hit total in that contest.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Friday, Mar. 11, in the Salisbury University Invitational. The Marlins take on York College o Pennsylvania at 12 p.m. and face Gettysburyg College of Pennsylvania at 2 p.m.

--AMDG--