The Lynchburg College Hornets stayed alive in the 2004 Old Dominion Athletic Conference softball tournament with a 12-4 victory over Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday afternoon in Salem, VA. The Hornets improve to 30-10-1 overall on the season and advance to Saturday's 6:00pm game against Emory & Henry. With the loss, the Royals have their season come to an end with an 11-22 overall record.

The Hornets scored all the runs they would need in the top of the first inning. The Hornets had three hits in the inning and also took advantage of an Eastern Mennonite error that resulted in all but one of the runs being unearned. Brittany Edelen and Lauren Lancaster each had RBI hits in the inning, Lancaster's a two-run double that went to the leftfield fence. Danielle DiFranco led the inning off with a slap base hit that bounced over a drawn-in infield.

The Hornets scored four more times in the top of the second and tacked on three more in the third to take an 11-0 lead after three. In a nine-batter second, Laura Gonder and Caroline Cubbage each had two-run singles. Another EMU error led to another unearned run. The Hornets continued their hitting ways in the third, scoring three times on four hits. Gonder added her second RBI hit of the game and Christy Mays singled to drive in two runs. DiFranco sparked the rally by getting on base for the third consecutive inning. She eventually came around to score her third run of the game as well.

With an 11-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, the Hornets added their 12th and final run of the contest. Starting third baseman Caroline Cubbage singled to right to plate Gonder for the 12th run.

The Hornets gave back four of the runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lynchburg's defense had a breakdown, commiting five errors in the inning, leading to three unearned runs. Ti'Sha Scruggs singled up the middle to bring in two runs while Erin Partee also had an RBI hit.

Larissa Roscher pitched the final two innings for the Hornets, throwing in relief of starter Jen Overstreet. Both DiFranco and Gonder each collected three hits for the Hornets, while three others hot safely twice. Gonder, Mays, and Cubbage all drove in three runners.

Sabrina Tusing had two of Eastern Mennonite's six hits in the contest. Tessa Grubb suffered the loss for the Royals, giving up the 12 run