VIRGINIA BEACH -- Lynchburg College's Hornets moved one step closer to the league-leading Virginia Wesleyan College's Marlins in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference softball standings with a 5-3 victory on Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader on Marlins Field.

But, the No. 7 ranked Marlins knocked the Hornets back to where they started by posting a 3-0 win in the nightcap.  VWC improved to 23-5 overall, and to 10-2 in the ODAC, while Lynchburg remained in second place with a 6-4 ODAC mark and an 18-10 overall record.

Virginia Wesleyan' second-game win marked the return of MacKenzie Creech (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) as a starting pitcher.  An injury sidelined the senior stalwart following her last start on March 23 in a victory at Emory & Henry College.  She worked 6.2 innings against Lynchburg and stuck out seven batters as she improved her season record to 10-0.  Creech scattered just three hits during her time in the circle, before sophomore Mary Shipp (Virginia Beach/First Colonial) entered for the final out to end the game.

The Marlins produced all the offense they needed to win the contest in the first inning. After Creech and the defense retired the Hornets 1-2-3 in the top of the inning, VWC went to work in the bottom of the inning. Courtney Bogan (Round Hill/Woodgrove),Kayla Malkos (Roanoke/Cave Spring), and Tori Higginbotham (Glen Allen/J.R. Tucker) belted consecutive singles, producing one run. After a double steal by Malkos and Higginbotham, a wild pitch scored another run. The Marlins posted their third run on a sacrifice fly to right field by Kayla Dost (Bristow/Nokesville Brentsville).

Lynchburg's most serious scoring threats took place in the top of the second and third innings when the Hornets put two runners on the bases with just one out in both innings. But, both innings ended on a fly out followed by a strikeout.

After that, pitching and defense dominated the game as neither team managed to get more than one runner aboard.  Both teams were hitless from the fourth through the seventh innings.

Lynchburg pitching ace Amber Ingram (Floyd, Va./Floyd County) took the loss in the circle, dropping to 9-3 on the season.  She struck out one batter, walked two, and gave up four hits and three earned runs in a complete game.

Sophomore Taylor Galvin (Virginia Beach/Kemspville), Bogan, Malkos, and Higginbotham finished with a single each for VWC. Skylar Seals (Gladys, Va./William Campbell), Nicole Riley (Rustburg, Va./Rustburg), and Nichole Shipp (Virginia Beach/Floyd E. Kellam) had a single each for Lynchburg.

Lynchburg used a two-run fifth inning, without the benefit of a hit, to jump into a 4-2 lead and hold on for the 5-3 win in the first game.  The Hornets took advantage of two hit batsmen, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, a fielder's choice, and a VWC error to score the two runs to break a 2-2 tie.

Virginia Wesleyan scored once in the bottom of the sixth when Dost singled to left to score Higginbotham, who led off the inning with a single.  That cut the Lynchburg lead to 4-3, but the Hornets got the run back in the top of the seventh when Melanie Tenney (Yorktown/Tabb) hit a sacrifice to center field to score Lauren Smith (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si).  Smith entered the game as a pinch runner for Logan Walker (Poquoson/Poquson), who singled up the middle.

VWC threatened in the bottom of the inning when Megan Zahnd (Chesapeake/Grassfield) and Malkos opened with back to back singles. A Bogan sacrifice bunt moved both runners, but it all ended when Lynchburg turned a double play on a line drive.

Junior Kristina Karagiorgis (Ashburn/Briar Woods) dropped to 12-3 in the pitching circle with the loss. She recorded a complete game, striking out two batters, walking one, and allowing six hits and three earned runs.

Elizabeth Fioretti (Elkridge, Md./Mount deSales) also turned a complete game and improved to 4-2. She fanned one batter, walked four, and gave up five hits and three earned runs.

Five different Marlins recorded a single each.  Jessi Hall (Floyd/Floyd County) led Lynchburg with two singles.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Tuesday, April 9, in a non-conference doubleheader at William Peace University starting at 3 p.m.

--AMDG--