SALEM, Va. -- Senior Season Dailey (Norfolk/Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox) capped her afternoon at bat for the Virginia Wesleyan College softball team by sending the Marlins into the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship game.

Dailey ripped a two-run home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring two runs to end the game and post a 9-0 victory over Guilford College's Quakers.

The No. 11- ranked, top-seeded Marlins (36-5) will play at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Moyer Complex against the winner of the loser's bracket for the ODAC title and the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. VWC is the defending ODAC champion and has won two league crows in the past three seasons.

Dailey's blast was part of an impressive afternoon of hitting by the Marlins, who belted 31 hits in an 8-1 win over Randolph-Macon College and the nighcap against Guilford.  VWC recorded 19 shots against R-MC (23-11), including a triple and double by sophomore Kayla Malkos (Roanoke/Cave Spring), and a double each from senior Tori Higginbotham (Glen Allen/J.R. Tucker), sophomore Kayla Dost (Bristow/Nokesville Brentsville), and Dailey.

Higginbotham finished 6-for-7 in the two games, driving in three runs and scoring four runs.  Malkos and Dost were both 4-for-7 and Dailey finished 4-for-8, driving in a total of five runs.

VWC's hitting was backed by strandout pitching from senior MacKenzie Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) and junior Kristina Karagiorgis (Ashburn/Briar Woods).  Karagiorgis took the win in the first game, improving to a career-best 20-4 by striking out eight Yellow Jackets and scattering five hits.  She allowed one earned run in six innings before sophomoreMary Shipp (Virginia Beach/First Colonial) entered to finish.  Creech pitched the distance in the second game and improved to 14-0.  She struck out a pair of batters and gave up six hits, but did not allow a run.

VWC never trailed in either game, taking the lead in the first inning against both the Jackets and the Quakers. Higginbotham opened the first game with a single to the left, stole second, and advanced to third on a RMC error. Dost hit a sacrifice fly to score Higginbotham for a lead never lost.  It was a similar situation in the second game at Higginbotham led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a Malkos sacrifice bunt. She scored when Dost singled up the middle.

The Marlins outscored R-MC 7-1 in the last four innings of the first game and pulled away from Guilford with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Taylor Galvin (Virginia Beach/Kempsville) helped VWC's cause against R-MC with three hits and seniorsLindsey Inzana (Chesapeake/Grassfield) and Megan Zahnd (Chesapeake/Grassfield) and Courtney Bogan (Round Hill/Woodgrove) belted two hits each. Senior Andrea Shannon (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) connected for two hits against Guilford. Dost belted three.

Maggie Shaffer (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) absorbed the loss for Guilford (29-14), dropping to 17-7 on the season.  She worked 3.1 innings, struck out two batters, walked three and gave up six hits and five earned runs. Calli Pastor (Newburg, Pa./Big Spring) faced six batters in relief, before giving way to Rebekah Langston (Washington, N.C./Washington) who finished. Cynthia Hayes (Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph) led Quaker hitting with two singles.

Kelsey McLaughlin (Richmond/Doulas Freeman) started in the circle in the first game for R-MC (25-11) and pitched for 4.1 innings.  She fanned two and gave up 12 hits and two earned runs.  Jenna Best (Chesapeake/Great Bridge) finished.  The Jackets were led at the plate by Amanda Sopko (Skippers/Greensville) with a double and single. Sharese Jarvis (Cobbs Creek/Mathews) added two singles.

--AMDG--