The Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (28-0, 10-0 ODAC) scored 28 combined runs in a dominant sweep of Meredith.
Game One: Virginia Wesleyan 15, Meredith 1
In the circle,
Hannah Hearl was dominant, tossing three scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while allowing just one hit.
Savannah Ballou closed things out over the final two innings.
Virginia Wesleyan finished with 17 hits, with multiple players contributing to a balanced and explosive offensive performance.
After two quick outs in the first inning,
Morgan Tucker sparked the rally with a triple to right-center. Taylor McQueen followed with an RBI double to plate the first run, and
Alison Pollack added a run-scoring single to make it 2-0.
Olivia Knight kept the inning alive with a hit, and after
Cali Megaro drew a walk to load the bases,
Karley Beltran worked another walk to force in a run and give the Marlins a 3-0 lead.
The Marlins added to their advantage in the second.
Laci Campbell walked and stole second before
Morgan Tucker singled to put runners on the corners. McQueen lifted a sacrifice fly to bring Campbell home, and Pollack followed with another RBI single to score Tucker and extend the lead to 5-0.
Virginia Wesleyan broke the game wide open in the third inning with an eight-run explosion. Beltran and
Sarah Prosser opened with singles and advanced on a passed ball. Campbell reached on an error, allowing Beltran to score, and
Samantha Deitsch delivered a two-run double to plate Campbell and Prosser. McQueen added an RBI single, and after Pollack walked and Knight singled in a run, the inning continued to snowball. Megaro singled to load the bases before Beltran ripped a two-run double. Another Meredith error allowed one more run to score as the Marlins pushed the lead to 13-0.
Meredith managed its only run in the fourth on an RBI double, but the Marlins quickly answered in the fifth.
Courtney Cole reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored on a Meredith error following a
Haley Sadler single.
Riley Curtice then drove in Sadler with a double to cap the scoring at 15-1.
Game Two: Virginia Wesleyan 13, Meredith 0
Emma Adams tossed three hitless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win, while
Emma Orr closed the game with two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.
Virginia Wesleyan totaled nine hits in the contest, highlighted by Jones' three-run homer and multi-RBI performances from Pollack, Prosser, and Megaro. The Marlins also aggressively pressured Meredith on the bases, swiping multiple steals and consistently moving into scoring position.
The Marlins carried their offensive momentum into game two, breaking things open with a seven-run third inning and adding five more in the fourth to complete the doubleheader sweep with a 13-0 victory.
After a quiet first inning, Virginia Wesleyan struck in the second. Taylor McQueen led off with a double and came around to score when
Alison Pollack delivered an RBI single to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead.
The third inning proved decisive.
Laci Campbell started the rally with a single and stole second, and
Samantha Deitsch followed with a hit before also swiping second.
Morgan Tucker worked a walk to load the bases, and McQueen drew another walk to force in a run. A passed ball then allowed Deitsch to score and moved the runners into scoring position. Pollack lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Tucker, and
Olivia Knight followed with an RBI double to score McQueen.
The inning continued as
Haley Sadler reached and advanced into scoring position before
Brianna Jones reached on a Meredith error, allowing another run to score.
Sarah Prosser then delivered a two-run double to cap the seven-run inning and give Virginia Wesleyan an 8-0 advantage.
The Marlins piled on in the fourth.
Morgan Tucker walked and was replaced by
Laney Pearce, who advanced into scoring position and later scored on a single by
Cali Megaro.
Reese Penny, who had reached via walk, came home on an RBI single from
Emma Adams to make it 10-0. Moments later,
Brianna Jones put the finishing touches on the inning with a three-run home run, scoring
Courtney Cole and Megaro to extend the lead to 13-0.
