It took a few innings to get going, but the Eastern Mennonite softball team fired on all cylinders in taking a doubleheader sweep from Guilford College on Saturday.  The Lady Royals scored 21 runs over the final eight innings of the day to improve to 12-6 overall and 3-1 in the ODAC.

Sunday's doubleheader with Lynchburg has been postponed due to the forecasted rain and snow.  The makeup date has yet to be set.

EMU 9, Guilford 4
The women trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth in game one before exploding.  The Lady Royals got things rolling with four walks.  Brooke Hensley (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) ripped a two-run double to tie the score at 3-3.  Then two more runs scored on a throwing error which would have been the third out of the innings, putting EMU up 5-3.

The Quakers scored once in the sixth, but had the tying run thrown out at home trying to score on a pitch which went to the backstop.

Hensley provided more breathing room in the bottom of the inning, launching a three-run homer over the center field wall.  Molly Smith (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) added an RBI double to provide the final margin.

The women, who had seven hits and eight walks, were led by Hensley who finished 2-4 with two runs and five RBIs.  Cheyenne Cash (Elkton, VA/East Rockingham) was 1-1 with two walks and score twice.

Jordan Aylor (Madison, VA/Madison County) started in the circle, but she and Smith took turns pitching nearly every inning.  Smith threw 3.2 frames and gave up only two hits to improve to 4-0.  Aylor was tagged for two earned runs in 3.1 innings.

EMU 12, Guilford 4 – 5 innings
The break between games didn't slow down the offense, as the women scored in four of five innings of the mercy-shortened nightcap.  EMU got back-to-back RBI singles to take a 2-1 lead after one.

They loaded the bases with nobody out in the second and plated one run with a walk.  Smith then shot a grand slam homerun to left to balloon the lead to 7-1.

Guilford got a single run in the third, but Smith keyed a three-run fourth with a bases loaded single, plating two.  The Quakers brought in two of their own in the top of the fifth to close to 10-4, but Eastern Mennonite loaded the bases again in the bottom of the frame.  Casey Racer (Madison, VA/Madison County) and Kaitlyn Morris (Elkton, VA/page County) each hit RBI singles with two outs, as the women invoked the mercy rule.

EMU was again patient at the plate, drawing seven walks to go with 14 hits in game two.  Smith batted 3-4 with her grand slam, finishing with seven RBIs.  Aislinn Lucas (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) and Courtney Allman (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) each reached base three times and scored three runs.  Morris had a hit with two walks.

Morris also picked up the win as the pitcher, going the distance to improve to 2-5.

With Sunday's DH being postponed, the next games are on Wednesday when EMU hosts Roanoke in a rescheduled twinbill at 3:00pm.