The EMU softball women had originally planned on playing at the Beach Blast in Virginia Beach, Va., this weekend.  When the trip was cancelled due to unplayable fields, a wild scramble established the re-made event monikered as the Beach Bash in the Mountains, featured many of the same teams only playing in Salem, Va.

Eastern Mennonite enjoyed the change of scenery enough to earn a split on Saturday's first day, getting their first win of the season.

EMU 7, New Paltz St. 2
The women rapped out 13 hits and got great pitching from freshman Cara Neikirk (Salem, Va./Glenvar) in the opener.  On offense, the Royals patiently scored in numerous methods, from RBI singles to double steals.  They plated a run in six of their seven innings and never trailed.

Neikirk was tough on the Hawks, meanwhile, allowing just five hits while striking out 10 batters.  Both of the runs which scored were unearned.

Brooke Sigrist (Crimora, Va./Fort Defiance) batted 4-5 with two RBIs and a run.  Nicolette Cuevas (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) was 3-3 with a walk, run and RBI.

Washington 7, EMU 3
The second game was scoreless until the offenses exploded in the third.  Washington scored twice on back-to-back two-out RBI singles, but Brooke Hensley (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) tied it up with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame.

Washington then ballooned a 7-2 lead with runs in the fifth and sixth and EMU could only manage one score in the bottom of the seventh.

Sigrist had a pair of singles, while Cuevas singled and walked, while scoring one run.

Jordan Aylor (Madison, Va./Madison County) gave up six runs in 5.0+ innings to take the loss in the circle.  Neikirk pitched the final six outs and gave up one run.

Now 1-5 on the season, the Royals play two more in Salem in Sunday, getting Catholic at 11:00am and Centenary at 1:00pm.