Virginia Wesleyan opened the 2026 NCAA National Championship Tournament in dominant fashion on Thursday morning, defeating John Jay 14-0 in five innings at Broyles Field.
Emma Adams recorded the win, as she pitched 3.0 innings, allowed one hit, and had two strikeouts. In relief,
Savannah Ballou pitched 1.0 innings, with a walk, and a strikout, and
Emma Orr finished the game pitching 1.0 innings, allowed two hits, one walk, and had one strikeout.
The Marlins struck quickly in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on defensive miscues to grab a three-run lead. After senior Laci Campbell was hit by a pitch and stole second, Samantha Deitsch drew a walk before Morgan Tucker reached on an outfield error that plated the game's first run. Taylor McQueen followed with an RBI single up the middle, and another John Jay error on the play allowed two more runs to score for a 3-0 advantage.
The Marlins broke the game open in the second inning with six more runs. Riley Curtice reached on an error and later scored on an RBI walk by Deitsch. Another defensive mistake allowed Sarah Prosser to cross home before McQueen lifted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 6-0. Alison Pollack then launched a two-run homer to center field, and Olivia Knight followed immediately with a solo blast to left, pushing the lead to 9-0.
Virginia Wesleyan added two more runs in the third inning. Curtice scored on a groundout by Paiton Everett after a passed ball moved runners into scoring position, while Prosser later came home on a John Jay error to extend the lead to 11-0. The Marlins closed the scoring in the fourth with three additional runs. Emma Orr started the inning with a walk and eventually scored on another RBI walk from Everett. Reese Penny added a sacrifice fly to bring home Curtice, and Cali Megaro capped the afternoon with an RBI fielder's choice that scored Prosser for the final 14-0 margin.
Up Next
The Marlins will take on Manhattanville for Game One of Day Two of the NCAA Regional, where the Marlins will be the away.
