Emory, Va. – After enduring its first loss of the season on Saturday morning against Emory & Henry, 6-5, the No. 11 Transylvania softball team finished off its Saturday doubleheader with a massive 15-7 victory over the No. 4 nationally ranked Christopher Newport Captains at Wasps Field on the campus of Emory & Henry College.
Transylvania began its eastward trip to Virginia on Saturday taking on two of the toughest teams in the Atlantic, moving its record to 8-1 after a day's work. Emory & Henry improved to 9-0 after beating Transy while Christopher Newport dropped to 12-4 overall after the Pioneers finished off the day with the eight-run victory in five innings. The Wasps later played Christopher Newport with the Captains beating Emory & Henry, 4-1 to pick up their first loss of the season.
The Pioneers were bolstered in the afternoon win by three home runs and multi-hit games from five different Transy batters as the Pioneers posted runs in all four innings against the Captains.
The Saturday morning affair featured two undefeated teams in Transy and Emory & Henry. The Pioneers took the first lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI from Kadi Weaver to score Taylor Senter from third base.
The Wasps went on top in the bottom half of the frame with a four-run inning, courtesy of two home runs on the way to a 4-1 advantage at home.
Transylvania sliced Emory & Henry's lead to 4-2 in the top of the third on a Wasps fielding error with two runners on, allowing Lexi Childers to come home from third.
The Pioneers scored for the third straight inning, surging back on top at 5-4 in the top of the fourth behind a pair of two-out RBI hits from Childers and Carson Murray. With Kadi Weaver aboard at third and Becca Messing on first, Childers drove in both runners with a hit to left center to tie up the contest at 4-all. Following a wild pitch, Murray sent home Childers on a hit to give the Pioneers a 5-4 lead.
Emory & Henry stung Transy again in the bottom of the fourth as two runs were scored on a fielding error by the Pioneers for a 6-5 Wasps upper hand. The Pioneers sought the tying run in each of the next three innings but stranded four runners as the Wasps held on for the win.
Kameron Bowling picked up her first loss of the season as her record dropped to 6-1 with three strikeouts, nine hits, and four earned runs allowed on the day. Childers led the Pioneers with a 1-for-2 day against the Wasps with two RBI and two walks.
Transylvania took out its frustrations later in the day on the top-5 nationally-ranked Wasps in a matchup of two top-11 teams in the country that featured nonstop scoring in a game only lasting the minimum five innings.
After producing six hits as a team in the first game, the Pioneers erupted for 16 hits against the Captains.
Christopher Newport posted one run against Transy in the top of the first inning before RBI's from Annie Schuck and Alyssa Nunn boosted the Pioneers to a 2-1 lead. The Captains tacked on a run in the top of the second to knot the game at 2-2 but Transylvania erupted for a four-run second inning to capture the lead for good.
Starting pitcher Cece Wittry displayed her versatility with a lead-off home run for a 3-2 Transy advantage. With two down for the Pioneers, Murray started off her electric 4-for-4 performance against Christopher Newport with an RBI single to right field to score Childers, making the score 4-2 in favor of the Pioneers. Senter scored Murray on an RBI single to right field, and Schuck drove in Senter with an RBI single into centerfield for a 6-2 lead.
The Captains threatened Transylvania with a three-run inning in the third to cut the Pioneer lead to 6-5 but Transylvania matched Christopher Newport in the bottom of the third with three more runs of their own. Abby Frazier's two-run blast to left field gave the Pioneers a 9-5 advantage heading into the fourth inning.
The Captains provided more scoring with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, but the Pioneers sank Christopher Newport in the bottom of the fourth with a six-run onslaught for the eight-run margin necessary to close the contest early.
Murray led off the bottom of the fourth for one of her two plate appearances in the inning with a solo home run shot to left center for a 10-7 Transy lead. Nunn and Wittry later delivered RBI singles and Frazier followed with a two-run hit through the left side to raise Transy's lead to 14-7.
Murray provided her fourth hit of the game and second of the fourth inning with a single down the left field line to bring in Frazier for the 15-7 advantage.
Christopher Newport tried to extend the game in the top of the fifth but Bowling induced the Captains into a double play and ended the game by forcing a foul out.
Carlee Jeter claimed the win in a relief role of Wittry while Bowling closed down the Christopher Newport attack over the final 1.2 innings, allowing one hit and one walk.
Frazier joined Murray's offensive ferocity with a 3 for 4 game to go with four runs batted in while Wittry, Nunn, and Childers each went 2 for 3 at the plate.
In tomorrow's encore performance, Transy will rematch with both teams before venturing back to Lexington for its home opener next Friday, March 19 against Depauw. The Pioneers are scheduled to play Christopher Newport at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time and Emory & Henry at 12:30 p.m. from Wasps Field.
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