The Eastern Mennonite softball team suffered a pair of league losses on the road today, dropping two important games to Roanoke College in the hotly contested Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Roanoke 4, EMU 0
The day started off on the wrong foot, as the women were shut out for the fourth time this season.

In each of the first five innings EMU got at least one runner on base.  Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the Lady Royals had their best chance to score.  Sara Jenkins (Stanley, VA/Page County) led off with a walk and a sacrifice followed.  A single and a walk loaded the bases with one away, but the bottom of the order couldn't come through as a fly ball and a strikeout left the bases packed.

The Maroons added two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth and Eastern Mennonite went down in order in their final two at-bats.

The women managed just three hits and four walks.  Brooke Hensley (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) went 2-3 with a walk.  Megan Viafora (Stanley, VA/Page County) walked twice and Courtney Allman (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) had the only other hit.

Molly Smith (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) pitched the first 4.2 innings was charged with three of the runs and the loss.  Lisa Lee (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County) gave up a run in her 1.1 innings.

Roanoke 14, EMU 9
Eastern Mennonite hit three homeruns in the nightcap but never led as they also let Roanoke score each inning.

Allman hit a solo shot in the top of the second, although the women still trailed 8-1 after the completion of the inning.  Smith singled in a run in the third and Allman added her second solo longball in the fourth.

In the fifth, Allman hit a two-run single with two outs.  After Viafora walked, Rachel Breeden (Shenandoah, VA/Page County) lofted another ball into the night sky and over the fence to trim the deficit to 10-8.

But the Maroons scored four more to lead 14-8 heading into the seventh.  The Lady Royals loaded the bases with no one out, but could only plate one run and suffered the sweep.

The women took advantage of six walks and four RC errors in the nightcap, but still couldn't outscore their hosts.  Allman reached base all four times she batted, finishing 3-3 with her two homeruns and a walk.  She knocked in four runs and scored another three.  Breeden also had four RBIs as she finished 1-4.

Smith had a hit, walk, run and RBI while Lee added a pair of singles.

Jordan Aylor (Madison, VA/Madison County) started the game but was chased before the first inning was complete and was charged with three runs.  Lee threw the final 5.1 and allowed 11 runs.

Despite the sweep, the three homeruns give EMU 39 dingers this season, which ties the program record set last year.  Allman now has seven homeruns on the year, one shy of the individual record of eight which she also set in 2011.

The Lady Royals slip to 22-8 overall, and more importantly 6-6 in the ODAC with the losses.  EMU sits in seventh place with just six conference games left.  They will try to snap their second losing streak of the season on Saturday when they host Emory & Henry on Parents Recognition Day.  The first game starts at 1:00pm on Gehman Field.