VIRGINIA BEACH -- One Virginia Wesleyan College winning streak ended Saturday, but the Marlins softball team immediately laid the groundwork for another one.

VWC dropped a 2-0 decision to Guilford College's Quakers in the first game of an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) doubleheader at Marlins Field, snapping a 14-game winning streak for the No. 8-ranked Marlins.  The Marlins could not produce the key hits in that loss, but came through with the shots they needed in the second game en route to a 7-2 victory.

The doubleheader was a showdown of the ODAC's top two teams, as VWC carried a 14-0 record into the contests, while Guilford entered with a 14-1 mark.

Senior pitcher MacKenzie Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) improved to 8-0 in the second-game win, pitching 5.1 innings before giving way to reliever Mary Shipp (Virginia Beach/First Colonial). Creech faced 21 batters, struck out seven, walked one, and scattered four hits.  Shipp faced only five batters and gave up nothing.

While VWC pitching limited Guilford (15-2, 2-1 ODAC) to only four hits in the game, the Marlins connected for 10 en route to pinning the first loss of the season on Casey Snead (Ellerbe, N.C./Richmond), who is now 4-1.  She pitched four innings, striking out one batter, walking two, and giving up six hits, before Rebekah Langston (Washington, N.C./Washington) entered in the fifth after Taylor Galvin (Virginia Beach/Kempsville), Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring), and Tori Higginbotham (Glen Alen/J.R. Tucker) hit consecutive singles to load the bases.

Langston struck out the first two batters she faced, before Lindsey Inzana (Chesapeake/Grassfield) broke things open with a two-run single to center field. Kristina Karagiorgis (Ashburn/Briar Woods)added an RBI-single and Courtney Bogan (Round Hill/Woodgrove)belted an RBI triple as Virginia Wesleyan posted five runs to take a 6-0 lead.

Guilford averted the shutout by scoring twice in the top of the sixth. Rachel Howard (Hillsborough, N.C./Cedar Ridge) connected for a two-run single after Steffi Sides (Rockwell, N.C./East Rowan) and Brooks Bray (Thomasville, N.C./Ledford) singled before her.

The Quakers fell 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to end the game.

Higginbotham and Inzana led VWC hitting with two each in the second game.  Kayla Dost (Bristow/Nokesville Brentsville)connected for two hits in the opening game, as VWC outhit the Quakers 6-3.  The big hit eluded the Marlins however, as Virginia Wesleyan left two runners stranded in four innings.

Guilford got all the scoring it needed in the top of the third, which started with consecutive singles from Cynthia Hayes and Laura Hall.  Howard followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners before Marty Wilcox singled in a run. A VWC error scored the second run and gave the Quakers a 2-0 lead they rode to the end.

Karagiorgis pitched a complete game for the Marlins. She absored her first loss in eight games after striking out five Quakers, walked one, and allowing just three hits.  Maggie Shaffer (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) took the win for Guilford and improved to 7-1.  She struck out one, walked a batter, and allowed six hits.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Tuesday, March 18, in a non-conference doubleheader in Winston-Salem, N.C. against the Spirits of Salem College beginning at 3 p.m.

--AMDG--