SALEM, Va. -- Virginia Wesleyan College's softball team clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship tournament in impressive fashion Saturday by sweeping No. 12 ranked Roanoke College 6-0 and 7-3.

The ODAC sweep improved VWC's league record to 18-2, while Roanoke fell to 14-4 heading into a Sunday league doubleheader at Randolph-Macon College.  Lynchburg College is currently in the No. 2 spot with a 15-3 league mark and a Sunday twinbill to play against Eastern Mennonite University.

Virginia Wesleyan's Marlins, ranked No. 22 in the latest national poll, rode the stellar pitching of junior Mackenie Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) and consistent hitting in both games.  Creech improved to 17-3 with a complete-game effort in the 6-0 win, striking out 10 Maroons, her second highest total of the season.  She walked three and allow just three hits.

In the second game, Creech entered in the third inning and shut down the Maroons (28-9) one more time.  She struck out two batters and gave up only three hits.  Sophomore Kristina Karagiorgis (Ashburn/Briar Woods) started in the pitching circle for the Marlins took the win.  She struck out two Maroons, walked two and gave up four hits and two earned runs.

Virginia Wesleyan, now 34-6 overall, took the lead in the opener with a solo run in the first inning.  Karagiorgis belted a run-scoring double, sending inTori Higginbotham (Glen Allen/J.R. Tucker) who led off and took a base after being hit by a pitch.

The Marlins broke the game open in the second inning, scoring four times.  Rookie Courtney Bogan (Round Hill/Woodgrove) got the scoring going when she singled, stole second base, moved to third on a passed ball and ran home when rookie Kayla Dost (Bristow/Nokesville Brentsville) doubled.  Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) and Kelly Keys (Manassas/Osbourn Park) followed with singles in the inning that included two run-scoring walks.

VWC made it a 6-0 lead in the top of the third with the help of a Shannon single and two Roanoke errors.

Virginia Wesleyan's defense and the pitching of Creech limited Roanoke to a solo base runner in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings and shut down the Maroons 1-2-3 in the seventh.

VWC outhit the Maroons 10-3 in the opener, led by rookie Taylor Galvin (Virginia Beach/Kempsville), Dost and Karagiorgis with a double each.  Dost and Shannon finished with two hits each.

Leona Rainey (Sandston/Mills Godwin) led Roanoke hitting with a double and single.  Stephanie Clark (Nathalie/Halifax) took the pitching loss.  She struck out three, walked two  and gave up five hits and five earned runs before Kelly Higbie (Midlothian/Cosby) entered in relief.

Clark and Higbie also pitched for Roanoke in the second game, as did Ashley Crouch (Leesburg/Heritage).  The trio combined to strike out three Marlins, walking four and give up eight hits and seven earned runs.

Virginia Wesleyan took the lead in the first inning when Higginbotham scored on a wild pitch.  She started the game being hit by a pitch, stole second base and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Keys.

Roanoke answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, with the big hit coming off the bat of Hollee Warlitner (Clifton Forge/Allehany), a two-run double.

The Maroons rode the lead for an inning before Virginia Wesleyan once again produced a four-run surge to pull away.  The Marlins posted four in the top of the third, helped by hits from Lindsay Inzana (Chesapeake/Grassfield), Season Dailey (Norfolk/Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox), Shannon and Higginbotham.

Roanoke fell 1-2-3 in the third and fourth innings and watched Virginia Wesleyan pad its lead with a two-run fifth.  Dailey helped the effort with a lead-off double.

Roanoke came back to put runners on base in each of the last three innings, but the VWC defense came up with the big plays for big outs to take the sweep.

VWC outhit Roanoke 8-7, led by Dailey with a double and single and Higginbotham with two singles.  Rainey led Roanoke with a a pair of singles.

Virginia Wesleyan will play again on Friday, April 26, in the opening round of the ODAC championship tournament at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem.

--AMDG--