VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia - The No. 10 Virginia Wesleyan softball team hosted their North Carolina counterparts in the Battling Bishops of N.C. Wesleyan University in a home doubleheader on Tuesday, March 3, at Tom and Betty Broyles Field at TowneBank Park in Virginia Beach, VA. The Marlins forced the Battling Bishops into checkmate in both games to move to 7-1 on the season while NCWU moves to 5-5.

GAME INFORMATION
The games were rescheduled from February 20th due to wintery conditions in the Coastal Virginia area on the original date of contest.

GAME 1 - INSIDE THE SCORE
Game one began with Hanna Hull striking out three of four batters faced in the top of the first inning to get the game underway. Lead-off batter Jessica Goldyn doubled to left-center field starting off hot for the Marlins. She then came home to score following an error on the pitcher putting VWU on the board first 1-0. 

Hull followed in the top of the second with another three strikeouts against four batters to keep the Battling Bishops off the board, while the Marlin offense added a second score to the board courtesy of Kaylah Duplain's sac-fly to leftfield that scored Madison Hudson. 

The next three innings were quiet for both teams as neither found a run in the third, fourth, or fifth innings. VWU kept NCWU off the board in the sixth while adding two runs in the bottom half of the inning off of a two-RBI homer from Danielle Stewart over the leftfield wall putting the Marlins up 4-0. 

Hull closed out the game in the top of the seventh with a three-up, three-down inning securing the win in game one. 

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by Danielle Stewart with one run on two hits in three at-bats and a two-RBI homerun. Jessica Goldyn scored one run on two hits and recorded the lead-off double. Hanna Hull (W: 6-0) pitched a complete game giving up just two hits in seven innings while walking two and striking out 12 of 25 batters faced.

NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Battling Bishops were led by Nichole Mooney and Meredith Mize who each recorded a hit in the contest. Beth Braswell (L: 2-3) also pitched a complete game giving up four runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

GAME 2 - INSIDE THE SCORE
The second game started a little slower than the first with neither team scoring in the opening inning of play. Carla Hall kept the Bishops off the board in the top of the second while the Marlin offense put up five runs in the bottom half of the inning. 

Scoring for VWU began with Katelyn Biando reaching base on an error by the third baseman. She advanced to third on a double to left field from Madison Hudson and both runners came home on a Madison Hudson single to right field. Hudson advanced to third on the play as well following a throw-down attempt of the runners in scoring position. Maria Weddle hit a sac-fly to left field that scored Hudson putting the score at 3-0. Julie Fassl, Jessica Goldyn, and Arianna Rolle all reached base for a bases-loaded, two-out situation for third baseman Julia Sinnett. Sinnett hit a single to left field that scored Fassl and Goldyn for the final two runs of the inning. 

The third inning saw no runs form either team but the Bishops found some life in the top of the fourth as they put four runs on the board against Hall and the Marlin defense bring NCWU within one run, 5-4.

VWU was kept off the board in the bottom half of the fourth and fifth innings, while they kept the Bishops from scoring in the tops of the fifth and sixth. 

Virginia Wesleyan added one run for insurance in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Julia Sinnett that scored Maria Weddle from third to put the score at 6-4 and help the win Marlins win game two.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by Julia Sinnett with three RBI on one hit in her two at-bats. Madison Hudson added a run on one hit in three at-bats with a pair of RBI. Carla Hall (W: 1-1) earned the win pitching four innings giving up four runs on five hits with four strikeouts in 18 batters faced. Hanna Hull (Sv, 1) earned the save throwing three innings during which she gave up just one hit and struck out five of the 11 batters she faced.

NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Battling Bishops were led by Chelsea Nixon with two RBI off two hits in three at-bats. Grace Preston (L: 3-2) threw 5.1 innings giving up six runs in eight hits and no strikeouts. 

UP NEXT
Virginia Wesleyan returns to action this weekend as they host Greensboro, Bethany (WVa), and Allegheny on Friday and Saturday. Greensboro and Bethany will play the early game on Friday at 10 AM, while the Marlins follow with a 12:30 PM match-up against the Pride of Greensboro and a 3 PM contest against the Bison of Bethany. Action will resume on Saturday with a 10 AM game between the Bison and Marlins. The 12:30 game is a neutral contest between Bethany and Allegheny, followed by a 3 PM game featuring the Marlins and Gators of Allegheny.