The Eastern Mennonite softball women opened up their ODAC season in tough way, taking on rival Bridgewater College on the road Wednesday. The Eagles were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, but EMU used the longball to the grab a doubleheader sweep on the road.

EMU 7, Bridgewater 3
Box Score
The Lady Royals broke out the sticks in game one, scoring six of their seven runs on homeruns.

After BC took the lead with a solo homer in the first, Molly Smith (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) hit her own solo shot in the second. Courtney Allman (Weyers Cave, Va./Fort Defiance) followed with a single and put the women on top when Jessica Sullivan (Midlothian, Va./Manchester) singled her in.

Allman unleashed a three-run blast to push the lead to 5-2 in the fifth, but the Eagles got two back in the bottom of the frame.

Starting pitcher Lisa Lee (Buckingham, Va./Buckingham) added her own insurance in the seventh with a two-run homer just over the wall in the left field corner and then breezed through BC in the bottom of the frame for the 7-3 win.

Allman had three of EMU's 10 hits in the opener, finishing a triple short of the cycle. Lee had two walks to go with her longball and had two runs and two RBIs. Smith also scored twice.

Lee struck out seven to pick up the complete game victory. She gave up five hits and three walks.

EMU 8, Bridgewater 5 - 8 innings
Box Score
Sullivan got the women on the board in game two, shooting a two-run single to right in the second. Freshman Brooke Hensley (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) joined the party with a two-out double which plated two more runs as the Lady Royals grabbed a 4-0 lead.

Leading off the fourth, the Eagles got a solo homerun off Smith, who had allowed just one hit in the first three frames. With a pair of singles and a walk, BC had the bases loaded. A sac fly and error on an infield grounder brought in all three runs to tie the score after four innings at 4-4.

Lee put EMU back in front with a shot over the centerfield fence in the fifth, however, before she took over for Smith on the mound.

Bridgewater nearly took a one-run lead in the sixth, but a towering fly ball slid foul. Instead, the Eagles settled for a game-tying run on a wild pitch with two outs.

Smith walked with two outs in the seventh, bringing up Allman. But the sophomore, who had four homeruns in the previous five games, struck out and sent the 5-5 game to the bottom of the frame. Lee sent the Eagles down in order and the contest slipped into extra innings.

With the international tie-breaker rule in effect for the extra frame, the Lady Royals started the eighth with Allman on second base. Rasheeda Crews (Brookneal, Va./William Campbell) singled and ended up on second base with nobody out.

After a strikeout and foul out, Megan Viafora (Stanley, Va./Page County) ripped a three-run blast over the leftfield fence, putting EMU up 8-5.

The Eagles got a one-out single to also have two runners on, but a groundball turned into a game-ending doubleplay, giving EMU the sweep.

Allman, Crews and Viafora each had two hits in the nightcap.

Smith pitched the first four innings was gave up four runs, although only two were earned. Lee threw the final four and earned her second win of the day. She gave up one run on just two hits.

Eastern Mennonite moves over .500 for the first time this year at 9-7. The women are also 2-0 in the ODAC and continue conference play this weekend as they host Guilford Saturday at 1:00pm and Lynchburg Sunday at 2:00pm.