RALEIGH, North Carolina - The No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan softball team opened their 2022 season with a pair of wins against the Avenging Angels of Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. 

GAME 1 INFORMATION
Score: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 12 - Meredith 9
Record: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 1-0 | Meredith 0-1
Location: Raleigh, NC

INSIDE THE SCORE
Game one began with a pair of scoreless innings for both teams. Meredith held VWU off the board in the third inning as well while posting five runs in the bottom half of the inning to go up 5-0 heading into the fourth. 

The Marlins bats came to life over the next two innings during which VWU scored eight runs taking an 8-5 lead. Ariana Rolle, Caitlin Myers, Karlee Fretz, and Jenna Laird scored in the fourth inning, while C. Myers, Julia Sinnett, Haleigh Settle, and Autumn Boothe scored in the fifth. Fretz and Laird singled in the fourth to each record an RBI. Sinnett hit a sac fly in the fourth and doubled to center field in the fifth driving home a pair of RBI. 

Meredith responded to the 8-0 run by Virginia Wesleyan with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning reclaiming their lead, 9-8. A double by Alyssa Drake to right center field scored a trio of runs for the Avenging Angels.

The four runs for the Angels in the fifth inning were the last of the game for Meredith as Virginia Wesleyan closed out the contest with two runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to claim a 12-9 win in game one. Sinnett hit a triple to left center field to score C. Myers and Rolle in the top of the sixth giving VWU a 10-9 lead. A single by C. Myers in the top of the seventh drove in Maria Weddle for one run, while a sac fly from Sinnett scored Halee Hawkins for the second 

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by Julia Sinnett with five RBI and a run on two hits and a walk. Caitlin Myers scored three times off four hits while driving in an RBI. Emily Seale pitched 4.2 innings giving up nine runs on 10 hits while striking out two and walking two.  Lauren Bible claimed the win in the circle throwing 2.1 innings striking out two batters.

GAME 2 INFORMATION
Score: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 9 - Meredith 1 - 5 innings
Record: No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan 2-0 | Meredith 0-2
Location: Raleigh, NC

INSIDE THE SCORE
Virginia Wesleyan put five runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Ariana Rolle, Caitlin Myers, Karlee Fretz, Autumn Boothe, and Jenna Laird all crossed home plate.

A pair of singles in the top of the second inning from Fretz and Boothe drove in Brooke Anderson and C. Myers putting the Marlins ahead 7-0. 

Myers crossed the plate again in the top of the fourth inning after Julia Sinnett singled to center field driving Virginia Wesleyan's lead up to 8-0. Meredith put one run on the board in the bottom of the fourth but a single by Anderson scored Mackenzie Myers in the top of the fifth putting the score at 9-1 for a Marlins win after holding the Avenging Angels scoreless in the bottom of the fifth.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN LEADERS
The Marlins were led by Ariana Rolle, Autumn Boothe, and Julia Piotrowski with two hits each. Boothe tallied two RBI, while Caitlin Myers led the team with three runs. 

UP NEXT
No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan returns to action on Wednesday, February 23, when they travel up the Eastern Shore to Salisbury, Maryland, for a midweek doubleheader against No. 10 Salisbury. First pitch of game one  is scheduled for 1:30 PM.