Down 9-5 in the bottom of the seventh the Eastern Mennonite University softball team appeared to be heading to a loss before freshman outfielder Kaitlyn Andrews (Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby) struck for a three-run home run and the Lady Royals came back again in the eighth inning to eventually sweep the Eagles in the opening conference double header for both teams.

EMU won the first game 12-11 in eight innings while holding Bridgewater scoreless in game two for a 1-0 win. The Lady Royals improve to 11-2 overall this year and 2-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference while Bridgewater falls to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the ODAC. The sweep by EMU marks the first time the Lady Royals have been able to accomplish that feat since the 1992 season when EMU (then EMC) defeated the Eagles 11-8 and 6-3.

The home team carried a 5-3 lead heading into the top half of the seventh inning with senior pitcher Natasha Viafora (Stanley, Va./Page Co.) getting the first out on a pop up to first base. Following an EMU error, the Eagles loaded the bases on a hit by Jordan Burkholder and a walk to bring up Drew Rutledge. Rutledge singled through the right side with the runners each advancing a base with BC adding five more runs thanks to an RBI double from Jennifer Hall and a two-run home run by Kaitlyn Bowman to take a 9-5 lead.

The Lady Royals came to bat in the seventh inning and were able to also get a runner on base thanks to an Eagles fielding error. Following a single by senior Miranda White (Verona, Va./Fort Defiance), freshman first baseman Jessica Sullivan (Midloathian, Va./Manchester) reached on another BC error. Senior Laura Bomberger (Harrisonburg, Va./EMHS) brought home one run with an RBI double to put runners on second and third with one out for Andrews. The former Turner Ashby star then blasted her first collegiate home run to tie the game at nine with the teams heading into extra innings.

Bridgewater pushed two more runs across in the top of the eighth as Laura Barry connected for a shot over the center-field fence, giving the Eagles an 11-9 advantage. EMU was able to get out of that inning without allowing any further damage as 2-3-4 in the Lady Royals lineup came up to bat in the bottom of the inning.

With one out and freshman Jessica Blosser (Crimora, Va./Wilson Memorial) placed on second, per international tie-breaker rules, sophomore Nicole Shelton (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin) singled with White following with a five-pitch walk to load the bases for Sullivan. The EMU first baseman delivered with a single up the middle, scoring Blosser to put the Lady Royals down by only one. Following a strike out, Andrews again came up big for the home team as she worked a walk with the bases loaded to push across the tying run. Viafora then came up to the plate and following Andrews lead and watched the fifth pitch sail outside of the strike zone to give the Lady Royals the walk-off win.

Blosser scored two runs in four at-bats for EMU while Andrews had a career high four RBIs in the win.

Viafora picks up her fourth win of the season while junior Jamie Fraysher (Waterford, Va./Loudoun Valley) pitched an inning in relief, allowing only two hits while striking out one.

In the second game the Lady Royals only needed to score once as sophomore right hander Nicole Wade (Madison Heights, Va./Liberty Christian) was dealing from the circle as she went the distance to pick up her team leading fifth win of the season. Wade allowed only five hits in seven innings with two walks, while striking out three as EMU scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Lady Royals will now compete this coming weekend in the Ferrum Tournament as they take on Methodist and Ohio Northern on Saturday, March 15.