HARRISONBURG, Va. - With ODAC play starting on Saturday, the Royals welcomed in Mary Washington to Gehman Field for one last doubleheader before conference matchups.
In game one, EMU fell just short, dropping 5-3. In game two, an offensive outburst in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie, as EMU picked up the win, 7-1.
EMU vs Mary Washington - Game One
Records: EMU 3-5, 0-0 ODAC | Mary Washington 9-6, 0-0 C2C
WP: Caitlyn Burch (6-2)
LP: Makayla Cyzick (3-4)
Highlights
- Cyzick worked out of a runner-on-third-one-out jam in the first, striking out the final two batters. The Royals were able to get their leadoff runner on third as well, as Samantha Hensley singled and moved around the base paths, but she was stranded there.
- A wild pitch, a stolen base and a solo homerun, gave UMW a 3-0 lead in the second. EMU had nothing doing in the second, third and fourth, as Mary Washington added an insurance run in their half of the fifth on a sac fly. The Royals got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Carsen Brake led off with a single, Janie Young pinch ran, and moved to third on back-to-back groundouts. She scored on Taylor Umberger's RBI single to left, for a 4-1 deficit.
- An RBI double pushed UMW's lead back to four, but EMU answered with a pair in their half of the sixth. Sydney Orndorff singled and Cyzick doubled, putting runners on second and third. Young came up, with one out, and doubled to left center, plating a pair and cutting the Eagles lead to 5-3. But that would be all for EMU as Burch picked up the final four outs for the win.
Statistical Leaders
Young: 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Umberger: 2-3, RBI
Cyzick: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 K
EMU vs Mary Washington - Game Two
Records: EMU 4-5, 0-0 ODAC | Mary Washington 9-7, 0-0 C2C
WP: Natalye Graham (1-0)
LP: Taylor Hudson (0-4)
Highlights
- Neither team pushed any runs across in the first two innings, despite UMW having runners in scoring position in both innings. But Graham got out of the frames unscathed to keep the game scoreless. The Eagles struck first in the third after a single, stolen base and an error, giving them a 1-0 lead.
- EMU went down in order in the third, but in the fourth, Hensley drilled a solo homerun to right, tying the game at one. Both pitchers settled down in the middle innings, keeping things knotted at one.
- The Royals broke the game open in the sixth, as Hensley and Grace Fravel led off with back-to-back singles and Destiny Jones reached on an error, loading the bases. Orndorff doubled, plating a pair and Graham followed that up with a bunt single, scoring Jones for a 4-1 Royals lead. Two batters later, with runners on second and third, Aspen Jones reached on a throwing error, which allowed two more runners to score for a 6-1 lead. The final run came off the bat of Umberger, as she plated A. Jones with an RBI single down the third base line. The Eagles picked up a two-out single in the top of the seventh, but Graham induced a lineout to second for the final out.
Statistical Leaders
Hensley: 2-3, HR, RBI, 2 R
Orndorff: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Graham: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K
What's Next
EMU will start the gamut of ODAC play on Saturday, as they head to Greensboro to take on Guilford in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 1 pm.
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