The Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (30-1-1, 16-0 ODAC) defeated conference opponent Ferrum in a doubleheader. Winning game one 2-0 and game two 9-1.
In game two, Hannah Hearl threw the complete 5.0 innings of the game and tallied a career-high seven strikeouts in the win.
Game One:
Morgan Tucker led the offense going 2-for-3 with an RBI, Brooke Powell went 1-for-2 with a double, and Laci Campbell was 0-for-2, scored two runs, and had two stolen bases.
Lauren Bible pitched a complete 7.0 inning game for her 17th win of the season, allowed three hits, and tallied three strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Marlins wasted no time putting pressure on Ferrum's defense. Sarah Prosser led off by getting hit by a pitch, but was quickly caught stealing on an alert throw from the catcher to second base. Mackenzie Myers followed with a walk, giving the Marlins another base runner. Laci Campbell then reached on a fielder's choice, forcing Myers out at second. With two outs, Campbell stole second to get into scoring position. Morgan Tucker came through with a clutch single to right center, bringing Campbell home and giving Virginia Wesleyan a 1–0 lead.
After several scoreless innings on both sides, VWU struck again in the bottom of the sixth. Mackenzie Myers led off but popped out to first. Laci Campbell was then hit by a pitch and advanced to first base. Tucker kept her strong game going with a single through the right side, moving Campbell to third. Jenna Laird entered as a pinch runner for Tucker and immediately made an impact. In a daring double steal, Laird swiped second while Campbell took off for home and scored, extending the lead to 2–0. The inning closed with the Marlins firmly in control, maintaining their 2–0 lead.
Game Two:
Brooke Powell led the offense going 3-for-3 with a double and a triple, scored three runs, and tallied three RBI. Alexis Hudgens was 2-for-2 with two RBI, and two stolen bases, and teammate Samantha Deitsch was 2-for-2 with a triple, scored one run, and had one RBI.
Hannah Hearl pitched a complete game 5.0 innings, allowed two hits, and one run, and registered a career-high seven strikeouts.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Marlins got their offense rolling. Julia Piotrowski led off with a double down the left field line, and Brooke Powell followed with a single through the left side to move Piotrowski to third. A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Samantha Deitsch pushed Powell to second and set the stage for Mirandah Jenkins, who hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in the game's first run. Alexis Hudgens kept the pressure on with an RBI single to left that scored Powell, and then showed aggressiveness on the base paths by stealing second. S. Prosser drew a walk to keep the inning alive, but Ferrum escaped further damage.
The Marlins broke the game wide open in the bottom of the third with a six-run outburst. Morgan Tucker started things off with a single to center, and Laci Campbell followed with a bunt single. Piotrowski flew out to right, but Tucker tagged up and advanced to third. Campbell then stole second to put both runners in scoring position. Brooke Powell came through in a big way with a two-RBI triple, clearing the bases and pushing the lead to 4–0. Powell then scored on a passed ball to add another run. Deitsch followed with a triple to left center and later scored on an RBI bunt single from Hudgens. The aggressive base running continued when Jenkins stole home as Hudgens advanced to third on a throw, bringing the score to 7–0 by the end of the inning.
VWU added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Laci Campbell got things started again with a double down the right field line and moved to third on a ground out from Piotrowski. B. Powell continued her big day at the plate with an RBI double, scoring Campbell. Deitsch followed with a single through the right side to plate Powell, bringing the score to 9–0.
Ferrum's offense got on the board in the top of the fifth with one run, but good defense and pitching sealed the win for the Marlins.
