The softball women started on a high note before settling for a split against rival Bridgewater College at home on Wednesday.

Eastern Mennonite sits at 19-7 overall and 7-7 in the ODAC after the day. They step out of conference play tomorrow in a rescheduled twinbill at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Va. The Royals head to Sweet Briar on Saturday before hosting Virginia Wesleyan, the newly crowned No. 1 team in the nation, Tuesday in Harrisonburg.

EMU 8, Bridgewater 2
After giving up a two-out run to the Eagles in the first, EMU's bats took over in the second. Lauren Seale (Madison, Va./Madison County) started the rally with a one-out single. After Savannah Jones doubled, Seale came in on an RBI groundout. The women continued with two outs, getting an RBI single from Mariann Smith (Hood, Va./Madison County) and a two-run double from Alexa Sheets (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) for a 4-1 lead.

Sydney Reath (Chambersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) and Jones smacked RBI doubles in the third to push the edge to 6-1. The Royals add a single run in each the fifth and sixth, while BC could only one a single two-out score in their last at-bat.

Seale (8-2) earned the complete game win from the circle, striking out seven Eagles.

Jones had a pair of doubles with an RBI and a run scored to pace a balanced attack. Seale also had a pair of hits, while Reath accounted for three runs.

Bridgewater 5, EMU 3
Even with the Royals getting hits early, the second game had a slow start.

Eastern Mennonite finally was the first team to get on the scoreboard, scoring twice in the third, including an RBI single from Mariah Foltz (Broadway, Va./Broadway).

But the Eagles took advantage of some free passes to plate two in the fourth, tying the score at 2-2. Then a two-out error in the fifth opened the door for two unearned BC runs. A bases loaded wild pitch gave Bridgewater a 5-2 lead midway through the fifth.

EMU's batters came out aggressively in the bottom of the frame, and got one run back on a two-out RBI single from Cassidey Chrisman (Staunton, Va./Riverheads).

After a 1-2-3 seventh from Seale, who had entered in the circle during the fifth, pinch hitter Maria Sinni (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) led off EMU's final chance with a walk. But the rest of the team couldn't piece together any hits to mount a comeback, leaving the Royals with a disappointing end to the day.

The women out-hit BC in the game, 9-6. Sheets and Foltz each had a pair of singles.

Reath was the starting pitcher but fell to 9-3 after allowing all five runs in 5.0 innings. Seale did not allow a hit in her 2.0 innings of relief.

Coach J.D. McCurdy said his team needs to rebound from the loss: