What a difference a week makes.

EMU's softball women earned an impressive split Sunday at Lynchburg College, the ODAC's second-place team. The Royals (18-6/6-6 ODAC) came one out away from winning both games, but settled for the split to end a week where they won five of six games, just a week removed from a stretch where they lost five of six.

Eastern Mennonite returns home on Wednesday to host rival Bridgewater College (7-17/2-6 ODAC) at 3:00pm.

Fans are encouraged to bring donations of used sporting equipment, which will be collected at the games and given to Leveling the Playing Field, an organization dedicated to giving underprivileged children the opportunity to enjoy athletic involvement. This is a conference-wide event brought by the ODAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is part of NCAA Division III Week.

EMU 6, Lynchburg 0
The Royals clubbed out 10 hits in the opener, while pitcher Sydney Reath (Chambersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) only allow two hits for Lynchburg (22-8/7-3 ODAC). The women broke things open in the second inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. Taylor Hensley (Orange, Va./Orange County) slapped a two-out single to score the first run, and Alexa Sheets (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) brought in another with a single. Then a dropped ball in the outfield allowed two unearned runs to score as EMU went up 4-0.

The women made it 5-0 with an RBI single from Mariah Foltz (Broadway, Va./Broadway) in the fourth, and then added one more on an RBI double from Savannah Jones (Stanley, Va./Page County) in the seventh.

Reath was dominant in the circle, only allowing two Hornets to reach scoring position. The sophomore improved to 9-1 with the shutout.

Jones led the offense with a 3-3 performance, notching a walk, run and RBI. Hensley went 1-2 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.

Lynchburg 4, EMU 3
The women had an outburst in their first at-bat of the nightcap. Sheets led off the game with a single. With one out, Foltz singled and Reath walked to load the bases. Lauren Seale (Madison, Va./Madison County) put a single into right to score two runs, and Cassidey Chrisman (Staunton, Va./Riverheads) laced a two-out double to bring in one more for a 3-0 lead.

Lynchburg got solo homeruns in the second and fourth to get within one run.

When Reath took over in the circle in the sixth, LC went to work, getting runners on the corners with one out. After a strikeout for the second out, the Hornets caught a break. The home team got the needed single, and the runner from second chugged around for home. The throw from the outfield got away from EMU's catcher, not only allowing the runner from second to score, but the runner from first also came in on the error, giving the Hornets the lead on the unearned run.

Trailing for the first time the entire day, the Royals were retired in order in the seventh, leaving them with the one-run loss.

Eastern Mennonite again out-hit LC, 8-7, and took advantage of four walks. But the women left nine on base, all in the first five innings, to come up short.

Seale finished 2-4 with two RBIs and a run. Sheets and Foltz each added two hits and a run.

Reath took the loss in relief, allowing two runs in 1.0 inning. Seale gave up two runs in 5.0 frames for a no decision.