Big plays hurt the EMU softball women in a 7-3 loss to rival Bridgewater Thursday in Harrisonburg.  The second game of the doubleheader was halted after five innings due to the darkness, and resulted in an 8-8 tie.

Bridgewater 7, EMU 3
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-out single.  After a Nicolette Cuevas (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork) sacrifice fly trimmed it to 2-1 in the second, another two-out mistake turned into a solo homerun for a 3-1 BC lead in the fourth.

Cuevas scored an unearned run in the fifth, and EMU tied it on a crazy play in the sixth.  With the bases loaded and one out, Cuevas hit a chopper in the front of the plate.  BC's pitcher threw home for the force out, but the ensuing throw to first was bobbled, giving a heads up Jordan Aylor (Madison, Va./Madison County) the window she needed to come home to tie it at 3-3.

After the exciting sixth inning, the Royals lost their concentration in the seventh, as a leadoff walk snowballed into a four-run rally which provided the final 7-3 margin.

EMU managed just three hits in the game, but benefitted from four Bridgewater errors.  Angelia Miller (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) finished 1-1 with two walks and a run scored.  Cuevas was 1-2 with a run and RBI.

Aylor pitched 6.1 innings, and gave up seven runs to take the loss and fall to 2-6.  Cara Neikirk (Salem, Va./Glenvar) pitched 0.2 innings in relief.

EMU 8, Bridgewater 8 (halted)
The Eagles scored a single run in the top of the first, but Eastern Mennonite took their first lead of the day with five runs in the bottom of the frame.  Aylor smashed a one-out homerun to start the rally, and a two-out BC error with the bases loaded allowed two runs to score.  Cuevas provided yet another big hit, plating two more runs with a single up the middle, making it 5-1.

Bridgewater scored an unearned run in the second, but the women got it back with on a Brooke Sigrist (Crimora, Va./Fort Defiance) RBI double in the third.

With darkness creeping in and EMU leading 6-2 in the fourth, the Eagles finally made their move.  A two-run double made the score 6-4 and chased Neikirk from the circle.  Reliever Mariah Foltz (Broadway, Va/Broadway) gave up a three-run homer to her first batter, and suddenly BC had a 7-6 lead.

The Royals had two runners in scoring position with only one out in the bottom of the frame, but a pair of groundouts kept them from tying the score.  Tension mounted as skylight faded and the game slipped into the fifth, and BC took advantage by scoring one more run on a bloop single with two outs.

Cuevas started a rally for Eastern Mennonite in their at-bat, leading off with a walk.  After an error, Aylor hit a rocket shot to left center, bringing in both runs with her double to tie the game.  The women couldn't bring Aylor in, however, with back-to-back groundouts leaving her stranded.  The umpires finally halted the game at that point, and ODAC bylaws govern that the contest is officially "final" as a tie.

EMU had 10 hits and five walks in the nightcap when it was halted.  Aylor was 2-4 with three RBIs and her third longball of the season.  Sigrist had two hits and a walk.  Cuevas was 1-1 with a walk, knocking in two runs.

Newkirk left with a no decision, giving up six runs in 3.1 innings.  Foltz is charged with two runs in 1.2 innings.

At 5-10-1 overall and 0-3-1 in the ODAC, the Royals are still looking for their first conference win.  They will get a chance this Saturday, with two games at Sweet Briar College.