The softball women just keep on rolling.  Following a week where they earned two impressive splits with nationally ranked teams, EMU's softball team swept rival Bridgewater College to improve to 9-3 overall and 4-2 in the ODAC.

After playing ten games in seven days, the Royals get a little break before hosting a pair of ODAC doubleheaders this weekend.  Emory & Henry, who just suffered their first loss of the year Tuesday night, visits Harrisonburg Saturday at 1:00pm.  Guilford comes in Sunday with first pitch at 1:30pm.

EMU 9, Bridgewater 1 – 6 innings
The visiting Eagles took their one and only lead in the top of the first, getting a single run on a sacrifice fly.  It was all Eastern Mennonite after that.

Aislinn Lucas (Grottoes, Va./Fort Defiance) rapped a run-scoring ground rule double in the bottom of the first to tie it.  EMU took a 4-1 lead in the second, highlighted by Mariah Foltz's (Broadway, Va./Broadway) two-run single.  Angelia Miller (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) put a two-run single into center in the fifth, bumping the lead to 6-1.

The women finally ended it on the mercy rule in the sixth, plating three runs without anyone being retired.

Jordan Aylor (Madison, Va./Madison County) limited BC to just three hits and two walks to get the complete game win from the circle.

Offensively, EMU had 13 hits, led by Foltz going 3-3 with a walk.  The third baseman also scored three times and drove in three other runners.  Lucas also had three hits, adding an RBI.  Danyele Smith (Broadway, Va./Broadway) was 2-3 with a walk, run and RBI.  Vivian Maddox (Rustburg, Va./Brookville) also had a pair of hits, scoring two runs with one RBI.

EMU 7, Bridgewater 2
Freshman pitcher Lauren Seale (Madison, Va./Madison County) took much of the drama out of the nightcap, retiring the first 11 Bridgewater batters she faced.  Miller hit a two-run homer to left in the second, with Smith and Casey Racer (Madison, Va./Madison County) each providing an RBI double in the third and fourth, respectively, to build a 4-0 lead.

The Eagles finally got to Seale in the fifth, scoring twice to cut the lead in half.  But she regained control after that, retiring the final seven batters in order.

Lucas got one run back with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, and Racer crushed a two-run bomb to left in the sixth for the final 7-2 margin.

Seale improved to 3-0 with the complete game win as she allowed just one earned run on four hits.

The offense had a balanced, 10-hit attack.  Racer provided punch from the bottom of the order, batting 2-3 with three RBIs and a run.  Miller finished 1-1, adding two walks to her homerun.  Smith and Lucas each charted two hits, one run and one RBI.

Coach J.D. McCurdy talks about his team's sweep of Bridgewater and impressive start to the season: