SALEM, Virginia - The No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan University Softball Marlins defeated the No. 3 Panthers of Birmingham Southern 12-1 in five innings in the eighth of the 2021 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament hosted by the ODAC and the City of Salem at Moyer Park in Salem, VA. A two RBI homerun by Julia Sinnett in the bottom of the first gave the Marlins the lead that they never relinquished. With her 71st stolen base of the season, Jessica Goldyn became the NCAA single season leader in stolen bases surpassing VWU alumna Courtney Bogan's 70 set in 2016. 

GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 12 - No. 3 Birmingham Southern 1 (5 innings)
Record: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 43-5-1 - No. 3 Birmingham Southern 32-7
Location: Moyer Park  |  Salem, VA

INSIDE THE SCORE
Jessica Goldyn led off the bottom of the first with a triple to right center field. Two batters later, Julia Sinnett stepped to the plate and drilled the ball over the left field fence to drive in two runs for the Marlins putting them ahead of the Panthers 2-1.

Neither team scored in the second inning but the Marlins added a combined ten runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings taking the 12-1 lead.

The third inning began with a sacrifice fly by Madison Glaubke that scored Ariana Rolle. A single by Katelyn Biando to right center field drove in Goldyn and Sinnett for two runs giving the Marlins a 5-1 lead. The last two runs of the third were scored off singles from Karlee Fretz and Kayla Womack who drove in Julia Piotrowski and Brooke Anderson, both of whom came in to pinch run.

The fourth inning began with Biando driving in another two runs off a bases loaded double down the left line that scored Goldyn and Glaubke while advancing Sinnett to third. Fretz came to the plate and followed with another double, this one to left center field, to score Sinnett and Biando putting VWU ahead 11-1. The final run scored when Fretz came home off a Womack single to the shortstop putting the final score at 12-1.

KEY STATS

• Katelyn Biando led the Marlins with one run on two hits while driving in four RBI in three at-bats including a two RBI double.
• Karlee Fretz was close behind with three RBI and one run on one hit and a walk in two at-bats.
• Julia Sinnett and Kayla Womack each drove in two RBI while Sinnett crossed home plate three times including a first inning home run. 
• Hanna Hull (W: 21-3) threw four innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out seven and walking three. 

UP NEXT
The No. 2 Marlins will play tomorrow afternoon against the No. 1 Tigers of DePauw University. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 PM at Moyer Park.