No. 11 Marlins Dominate Sweet Briar in ODAC Opener

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan College softball team (10-0/2-0) an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) doubleheader with Sweet Briar College in run rule games with the final scores being 24-0 and 19-1. Amanda Archer led the Marlins for the day going 6-for-7 with 11 RBI and three home runs.

Game 1: 24-0 Virginia Wesleyan Victory (5 innings)

The Marlin offense had 23 hits and took advantage of three Sweet Briar errors to win the game 24-0. Courtney Wright (4-0) got the win for the Marlins going three innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. Alana Peters pitched the last two innings and allowed one hit, while striking out six Vixens.

The Marlins scored six runs in the first inning highlighted by a Liz Bailey RBI double and a LeAnn Adkins RBI triple. Megan Meindl also drove in a pair with a single in the frame.

Cassetty Howerin added to her home run total with a two-run blast to left-center field to make it 8-0 in the second. Amanda Archer stepped to the plate after a Teresa Cardamone walk and was able to get another chance at the dish after the Sweet Briar third baseman dropped a ball in foul territory that would have been the first out of the inning, but instead Archer took advantage of the opportunity and sent the next pitch over the left field fence for her first home run on the season to make it 10-0.

The Marlins scored four in the third inning before posting an incredible 10-run fourth inning for the final margin.

Archer finished 4-for-4 with three runs, two homers, and seven RBI. Kiersten Richardson went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI while Bailey went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

Game 2: 19-1 Virginia Wesleyan Victory (5 innings)

Sweet Briar scored first, plating one run off a Kayla Dooms single down the right field line that scored Erica Orr in the top of the first. That was all of the offense the Vixens would get off Marlin pitching on the day.

Kasey Newcomb (1-0) got her first win of the season pitching three innings, allowing two hits, one unearned run, and striking out two. Peters came in to throw the last two innings and had five strikeouts without allowing a hit.

The Marlin offense wasted no time to respond by putting up 12 runs in the bottom of the first. Jessica Lindsay tripled to the left-center field gap to clear the bases for a 4-0 lead. Newcomb helped out her own cause at the plate by hitting a triple that scored Lindsay for the 5-0 edge. Archer closed out the inning with a three-run towering blast down the left field line to make it 12-0.

The Marlins posted four runs in the second and three in the third, highlighted by a Meindl double to left field that scored two Marlin runs.

Bailey, Meindl, Kaylah Duplain, and Cardamone all doubled for the Marlins to go along with the triples by Newcomb and Lindsay. Kiersten Richardson (3), Bailey (2), Archer (4), Lindsay (3) had multiple RBI efforts while Howerin, Newcomb, Cardamone, and Adkins each added one.

No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan (10-0/2-0) returns to action on Friday with a 2 p.m. game against Case Western Reserve to kick off the Beach Blast Tournament. The Marlins will conclude Friday play with a 4 p.m. contest against Western Conn. St.