EMU's softball women closed the regular season with a sweep at Sweet Briar, punching a postseason ticket for the 10th straight year.  The women are tied with Randolph College for seventh in the ODAC standings, but won't find out their seeding until the official ODAC Tournament bracket is released following completion of rescheduled games on Monday.

Eastern Mennonite heads into the postseason with a record of 16-12 overall and 9-11 in the ODAC.  The day also marked the final home sporting event in the history of Sweet Briar College, as the institution announced it will be closing its doors this summer.

EMU 5, Sweet Briar 1
Each team managed only five hits in the opener, but the Royals made the most of their opportunities.  Mariah Foltz (Broadway, Va./Broadway) crushed a two-run homerun in the top of the first to give EMU the lead.  Lauren Seale (Madison, Va./Madison County) made it 3-0 with an RBI double in the fourth.  The Vixens scored a two-out run in the bottom of the frame to get on the board.

Seale gave the women some insurance with a two-run bomb in the sixth, providing the final 5-1 margin.

Cara Neikirk (Salem, Va./Glenvar) improved to 4-2 with the complete game victory, as she gave up five hits and one walk.

Seale led the offense by hitting 2-3 with three RBIs and a run.  Foltz was 1-2 with two RBIs and a run.  Aislinn Lucas (Grottoes, Va./Fort Defiance) scored twice and Angelia Miller (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) had a hit and a walk.

EMU 11, Sweet Briar 3
SBC took the first lead in the second game, scoring a run in the bottom of the first.  Haley Thomas (Salem, Va./Salem) then started a rally for the Royals in the third with a leadoff double.  Four runs ended up scoring, capped by Lucas' two-run double, bumping EMU in front, 4-1.

The Vixens got an RBI groundout in the bottom of the third, but Vivian Maddox (Rustburg, Va./Brookville) made it 6-2 with a two-run double in the fourth.

Miller smacked a three-run homer in the fifth, and Seale added her second two-run shot of the day in the seventh.  Sweet Briar got a solo homerun in their last at-bat but EMU's lead was too much in the 11-3 final.

Seale matched Neikirk's effort from game one by allowing just five hits.  She struck out six and walked five to improve to 5-4.

Miller had three of EMU's 13 hits, going 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs.  Maddox had a pair of doubles with three RBIs and a run.  Lucas was 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Danyele Smith (Broadway, Va./Broadway) batted 2-4 and scored twice.

The three-day, eight-team ODAC Tournament starts next Friday at the Moyer Complex in Salem.  The Royals would likely play a 2:00pm game on the first day and will play one more later that day in the double elimination format.