Box Score Roanoke defeated EMU twice during the regular season, and despite a wild game, the Maroons made it one more as they handed the women a 7-5 loss Friday evening. The ODAC Tournament loss drops No. 6 Eastern Mennonite into the loser's bracket, where they will play No. 8 Emory & Henry Saturday morning at 11:00am in Salem, VA.
Roanoke scored the first run in the top of the first without getting a hit, when a leadoff walk touched home on a fielder's choice groundball. A two-out triple followed by an error pushed the score to 3-0.
Courtney Allman (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) got the women's first hit, a two-out single in center in the second, but she was left stranded.
The Maroons made it 4-0 with a solo shot down the left field line in the third, and then added a small ball run with two outs in the fourth to go to 5-0.
The Lady Royals got aggressive at the plate in their half of the fourth, with Sara Jenkins (Stanley, VA/Page County) and Molly Smith (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) opening with back-to-back singles. The first pitch swings continued and the runs started coming. Allman brought in a run with a double and another one score on a fielder's choice. Jordan Aylor (Madison, VA/Madison County) then tattooed her first pitch over the fence in left center, scoring three and tying the game at 5-5.
Another walk and RBI double put the Maroons back in front in the top of the fifth, however, chasing Smith from the circle.
EMU got two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth, but left them stranded. They went down in order in the sixth before Roanoke added a two-out insurance run in the top of the seventh to push the margin to 7-5.
The Lady Royals had another inning of hard-hit balls in the seventh, but each time hit it at a Maroon to go down in order, sending them into the loser's bracket.
Each team finished with 10 hits, but EMU hurt themselves by allowing four walks and committing two errors.
Lisa Lee (Buckingham, VA/Buckingham County), Smith and Allman each had a pair of hits. Allman added a run and an RBI, while Smith scored once. Aylor's three-run homer was her second of the year and the team's 49th.
Smith started for the women and took the loss, as she gave up six runs on six hits and three walks. Aylor pitched the final 2.2 innings and gave up a single run.
EMU is now 26-12 after the loss. The women need three wins on Saturday to advance to Sunday's Championship.
