Lynchburg College was crowned the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Softball Champion as the Hornets used a two-run first inning and a solid pitching performance from Katie Bruce to gain a 4-1 win over the Eastern Mennonite University softball team Sunday afternoon in Salem, Va., at the James I. Moyer Softball Complex.

EMU finishes the 2009 campaign with a 21-19 overall record and a 7-11 mark in the ODAC. Lynchburg is now 37-6-1 on the year and will take the automatic bid from the ODAC into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. The Hornets have now won the past three ODAC Championships.

Freshman pitcher/infielder Lisa Lee (Buckingham, Va./Buckingham Co.) was 2-for-3 on the day with a run scored and also pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief, allowing two runs, one earned, on a hit and four walks while striking out three batters.

Junior Brittany Caricofe (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) went 1-for-2 with an RBI for EMU while senior pitcher Jamie Fraysher (Waterford, Va./Loudoun Valley) pitched the final inning for the Lady Royals, issuing only one free pass and a hit while holding the Hornets scoreless.

Katie Bruce notched her 20th win of the year as she allowed only one run on three hits. Bruce gave up two free passes while striking out five batters.

Rachel Gallagher was the hitting star of the game for Lynchburg as she was 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Bruce was 1-for-3 with an RBI while Tara Campbell had a hit and a run scored in three trips to the plate.

Both Caricofe and Lee were named to the All-Tournament team for EMU. Bruce and Brittany Allsop were named for the winning team with Gallagher being awarded the Most Valuable Player.

Following the two-run first inning the Hornets were able to plate a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to go up 4-0. Lynchburg scored their run in the fourth on an error with Gallagher launching a home run for the lone run in the fifth.

EMU scratched a run across the board in the top of the seventh inning as Caricofe hit an RBI single up the middle to score Lee from second base. Bruce settled down to get the next two batters and give the Hornets their sixth ODAC Championship.

Allsop scored a run in two at-bats for LC.