The No. 2 Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (4-0) swept cross-bay rival Christopher Newport, winning 8-0 in game one and 15-2 in game two.
Game One:
Samantha Deitsch led the Marlins, going 3-for-3, with a double and a triple, scored a run, and added an RBI.
Morgan Tucker was 2-for-2, scored a run, and had two RBI.
Sarah Prosser was 1-for-3, with a double, scored a run, and had two RBI and
Olivia Knight went 1-for-4 and added three RBI.
Hannah Hearl got the win in the circle as she shut down the No. 9 CNU offense, pitching 6.0 innings, allowed zero hits, zero runs, and had seven strikeouts and only allowed two baserunners.
Virginia Wesleyan wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first.
Sarah Prosser drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a perfectly placed bunt single by
Laci Campbell. After Taylor McQueen worked another walk to load the bases,
Morgan Tucker came through with the game's first big swing. The junior laced a single into left field, driving in both Campbell and Prosser while McQueen advanced to second. The two-RBI knock gave the Marlins an early 2-0 advantage.
After two quick outs in the third, Tucker sparked another rally by working a full-count walk. Olivia Knight followed with a sharp single to left field. An aggressive turn allowed Knight to advance to second on the throw, while Tucker raced home to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Marlins capitalized again in the fourth. Emma Adams drew a leadoff walk and was replaced on the bases by Cali Megaro. Samantha Deitsch then ripped a triple down the right-field line, plating Megaro to push the score to 4-0.
Later in the inning, with Karley Beltran aboard and having stolen second, Prosser delivered with a clutch double to left field. Beltran came around to score easily, stretching the lead to 5-0.
Virginia Wesleyan put the game away in the bottom of the sixth. Deitsch started the rally with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Beltran. Prosser followed with a groundout to shortstop that brought Deitsch home, making it 6-0.
The Marlins weren't done. Campbell doubled to left and was pinch-run for by Brianna Jones. McQueen and Tucker each drew walks to load the bases. Knight then put the ball in play and reached on a throwing error by the shortstop. The miscue allowed both McQueen and Jones to score, sealing the 8-0 run-rule victory.
Game Two:
The Marlins' bats caught fire in game two as Olivia Knight and Alison Pollack each hit a home run in the game. Pollack was 2-for-3, scored one run, and had two RBI, and teammate Olivia Knight went 1-for-2, scored two runs, and had three RBI. Sarah Prosser was 3-for-4, scored three runs, and had one RBI. Taylor McQueen went 2-for-3, scored two runs, and had one RBI.
Emma Adams registered her second win of the season, pitched 4.0 innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, and tallied three strikeouts. In relief, Savannah Ballou pitched 1.0 innings, allowed one hit, and zero runs.
In the first inning, Sarah Prosser sparked the rally with a single to shortstop, and Laci Campbell followed with a double to right center, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Taylor McQueen opened the scoring with an RBI groundout to second, bringing Prosser home. Morgan Tucker then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Campbell to tag and score for a 2-0 lead. The pressure continued as Olivia Knight reached on an error, and Emma Adams followed by reaching on a throwing error that allowed Knight to score. After a wild pitch moved Adams to third, Alison Pollack singled through the right side to plate Adams, capping a four-run inning fueled by aggressive baserunning and defensive miscues.
The Marlins broke the game open in the second innig with five additional runs. Prosser again ignited the offense with a single and stolen base. Campbell was hit by a pitch, and McQueen singled to right to load the bases. Tucker reached on an error that brought Prosser home. Knight added a sacrifice fly to score Campbell, and Adams laid down a bunt single that drove in McQueen. After Pollack reached on a fielder's choice to keep the rally alive, Haley Sadler executed a sacrifice bunt that scored Tucker. Prosser later reached on another error, allowing Adams to cross the plate. By inning's end, Virginia Wesleyan had built an 8-0 advantage, capitalizing on both timely hitting and defensive errors.
McQueen singled to start the third frame, setting the stage for Knight, who blasted a two-run home run to extend the lead to 10-1. Two batters later, Pollack launched a solo homer to center field, pushing the margin to 11-1 and putting the game firmly in control.
To begin the fourth, Prosser singled up the middle, and Riley Curtice followed with a single to right. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Cali Megaro lifted a sacrifice fly to bring Prosser home. Tucker delivered again with an RBI single to right center, scoring Curtice. Later in the inning, a series of errors and a wild pitch allowed Tucker to score, and the Marlins tacked on one more to reach the 15-run mark.
