VIRGINIA BEACH -- A softball showdown between the top two pitchers in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference went to Virginia Wesleyan College's Marlins on Sunday as rookie hurler MacKenzie Creechguided the team to a 2-0 victory over Bridgewater College's Eagles at Marlins Field.

It was the first game of a doubleheader that resulted in a split, as Bridgewater (20-7, 10-4) came back to hold off the Marlins (21-5, 8-4) for a 7-5 decision in the second game.

But, the first game produced a highlight win of the season for Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) (left), who threw her eighth complete game of the season, and her third shutout, striking out six batters, walking two, and scattering five hits.  She improved to 12-2 overall, marking the third highest victory total ever by a VWC rookie.  Tina Clark set the record at 16 in 1985 and Heidi Hill tied it in 1998.

Creech, who entered the game with a league-leading 1.38 earned run average, also pitched four innings of the second game and struck out one batter, increasing her season total to 100.  She is only the fourth rookie in VWC history to record 100 strikeouts in a season, joining an elite group that includes Heidi Hill (118, 1998), Becky Sowell (113, 2003) and teammate Chrissy Crawford (Norfolk, Va./Granby, 100, 2010).

Bridgewater sophomore Heather Jenkins (Locust Grove, Va./Orange County), ranked No. 2 in the ODAC with a 1.39 ERA, absorbed just her second loss in 13 pitching performances.  She also pitched the distance, striking out one Marlin, walking two and allowing four hits and two earned runs.

Virginia Wesleyan produced three of those hits against Jenkins in the bottom of the fifth when the Marlins ended a scoreless standoff...all on two outs.  Rookie Kelly Keys (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) sparked a VWC rally when she belted a hard shot down the left line.  Rookie Tori Higginbotham (Glen Allen, Va./J.R. Tucker) followed with a blooping single down the right field line and junior Brenae Pettit (Onancock, Va./Nandua) scored them both with a single into right.

Bridgewater put runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but could not produce the hits to record the runs.

Drew Rutledge (Brookneal, Va./William Campbell) led BC hitting in the first with two singles.

Junior Brianna Bertovich (Richmond, Va./Monacan) added a single for Virginia Wesleyan in the first game and added another in the second game, stretching a current hitting streak to six consecutive games.

Virginia Wesleyan trailed 5-0 in the first game, posting a four-run third inning that included a lead off home run by Jenkins and a two srun shot to left from Lauren Childress (Franklin, Va./Franklin).  The Marlins answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the same inning when Morgan Stephens (Culpeper, Va./Highland) belted a single into right, sending in Jaclyn Quinn (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory), who singled, and Bertovich, who reached base on an error.

Bridgewater took back the runs with solo scores in the top of the fifth and the sixth, before VWC rallied one more time, again with two outs.  Rookie Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) cranked out a bases-loaded triple to the right field fence, scoring Heather Bishop (Virginia Beach/Ocean Lakes), Season Dailey (Norfolk, Va./Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox)and Bertovich.  Bertovich and Bishop both singled to get on base and Dailey drew a walk.

Bridgewater brought Amber Marstin (Brookneal, Va./William Campbell) in to pitch after the triple that pullled VWC within a 7-5 score.  She ended the game with a pop up.

Crawford took the pitching loss for VWC, dropping to 9-3 overall.  Aven Thomas (Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby) picked up the win and improved to 7-4.

VWC recorded seven hits in the second game, all from seven different batters. Emily Morris (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) and Childress led BC with two hits each.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Tuesday, Apr. 5, motoring to Salisbury, Md., to face No. 18 Salisbury University in a non-conference twinbill starting at 3 p.m.

--AMDG--