SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke finished 2-2 to wrap-up the home portion of the regular season in ODAC action. The Maroons record now stands at 28-7 overall, 11-5 in the conference.
Roanoke softball swept Lynchburg Saturday night at the Moyer Complex. It was a pivotal ODAC match-up between two of the top teams in the conference. Roanoke earned a 2-1 win over the visiting Hornets (21-13, 11-5 ODAC) in game one as Abigail Rexrode (Fincastle, VA, James River)(8-2) pitched a complete game with one run allowed and five strikeouts.
The game was won in the bottom of the sixth as Taylor Zahn (Sandston, VA, Mills Godwin)was brought home off a Hollee Warlitner (Clifton Forge, VA, Alleghany)double to tie the contest at 1-1 with two outs. Meghan Weingard (Boca Raton, FL, North Broward Prep)stepped up in a pinch-hit situation and delivered the game winning run off a single up the middle as the Maroons held on in the top of the seventh to seal the come-from behind win.
The Maroons completed the sweep with a 12-4 win in five-innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Lis Norwich (Hegins, PA, Tri-Valley)(5-1) earned the win, going 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and three hits allowed. Leona Rainey (Sandston, VA, Mills Godwin), who finished 3-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base, belted a lead-off home run off the first pitch to tie the score at 1-1 after one complete.
Roanoke scored four runs in the bottom of the second to grab the early lead, 5-1. Jessica Zeman (Willis, VA, Floyd Co.)smacked an RBI-double to spark the rally. Alea Bier (Bent Mountain, VA, Cave Spring)singled, stole second and scored off Lisa Scruggs (Madison Heights, VA, Holy Cross)single which also brought home Rainey to highlight the inning.
Lynchburg blasted a three-run homer in the third inning to make it a 5-4 ballgame. In the fifth, the Hornets loaded the bases as they drew back-to-back walks and then a batter reached base off an error with no outs. Felice Lowery (Madison Heights, VA, Lynchburg Christian)fielded a ball out in leftfield and hit a perfect throw to Katherine Kouri (Rockville, VA, Patrick Henry), as she tagged the Hornet runner for the first out of the inning. The next batter flied out to Rainey, but her quick release back in to the infield kept the runner on third with two outs. A line drive was sent to Sara Caudle (Irvington, VA, Lancaster)as she was there to make the grab to get out of the jam.
Then the Maroons scored seven runs in the bottom half of the inning to end the game early and completed the sweep. Warlitner finished 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Scruggs went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Zeman and Bier both went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Zeman added a double, a stolen base and two RBI. Bier had two stolen bases and an RBI.
The Maroons dropped a doubleheader to Randolph on Sunday afternoon at the Salem Civic Center Field on Senior Day. It was the final home game for seniors, Zahn, Zeman, Christina Sargent (North Berwick, ME, Noble), Beth Nicoll (Fairfax, VA, Fairfax), Kelsey Ruitenberg (Geneva, IL, Geneva), Abbey Greenberg (Cherry Hill, NJ, Cherry Hill East)and Lindly Theroux (Chesapeake, VA, Nansemond River).
In game one, Roanoke built a 3-0 heading into the fifth inning. It was highlighted by a Lisa Scruggs two-run blast in the fourth inning to give the Maroons the early advantage.
The WildCats (20-20, 7-11 ODAC) then exploded with seven runs on six hits in the final three innings to steal a 7-5 victory. Nichole Smith gave Randolph the lead for good on a grand slam, her school-record eighth home run of the season to break the 3-3 tie.
The Maroons produced two runs in the fifth inning, as Zeman had an RBI-single and stole her second base of the game which helped Caudle take home to cut the deficit to within two.
Roanoke threatened in their final at bat, as Ruitenberg and Caudle singled to put the game-winning run at the plate with one out. But the WildCats ended the game on a double-play to end the threat and the ball game.
Rexrode (8-3) took the loss, but Gretchen Wolfe (New Windsor, NY, Newburgh Free Academy)had a solid performance in relief, going 2.2 innings with three strikeouts and allowed one hits with no runs scored on her.
Ruitenberg and Warlitner had two hits for Roanoke. Zeman had an RBI-single with two stolen bases. Rainey singled and scored and recorded a stolen base.
Game two proved to be a pitching duel as Randolph's Shelbie West and Norwich entered the sixth inning with the Maroons up, 1-0. Randolph scored two runs in their last at-bats off Wolfe in the final two innings to earn the win.
Roanoke grabbed the lead in the third and took a 1-0 lead. Zeman walked and advanced to third off Rainey's single. Rainey then stole second and Zeman went home off a throwing error by the catcher to give the Maroons the early advantage.
Smith's heroics continued for Randolph in the sixth inning, as she singled to bring home a WildCat run to tie the contest, 1-1. They scored two runs in their final at bat to complete the sweep over the Maroons, who entering today was first in the ODAC Standings.
Norwich went 5.2 innings and allowed only one run with no walks. Wolfe (4-1) dropped her first game of the season.
Rainey and Caudle singled for Roanoke, as Rainey finished with two stolen bases to break the single-season record with 28.
The women wrap up the regular season on Tuesday, April 20 as they travel to Emory & Henry. With a sweep, the Maroons put them in position for a #2 seed in this week's ODAC Tournament at the Moyer Complex.
