Marlins Dance into Softball Super Regionals with Game Seven Win Over TCNJ

Marlins Dance into Softball Super Regionals with Game Seven Win Over TCNJ

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- The Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (38-11) split with TCNJ in the NCAA Regional Finals to move on to the Super Regionals of the 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament. 

The 2023 NCAA Softball Regional All-Tournament team hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University:
John Jay - Maleea Gallaspy
Manhattanville - Charli Shinstine & Samantha Walsh
TCNJ - Julia Kinally, Julia Mayernik, and Jaclyn Carifi
VWU - Sarah ProsserJulia Piotrowski, and Lauren Bible
Most Outstanding Player - Caitlin Myers from Virginia Wesleyan

Caitlin Myers led the team going 2-for-7 with a three-run homer, scored two runs, and recorded five RBI, and Lauren Bible pitched 7.0 innings, allowed five hits, two runs, one earned run, and four strikeouts. 

GAME ONE
The first game was full of great softball action with the Marlins striking first in the second inning. Emma Adams doubled to left center field and was subbed for pinch runner Jenna Laird, followed by a single up the middle from Caitlin Myers to score Laird. Julia Piotrowski laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Myers to second, followed by a single from Madison Hudson to put runners on the corners. Jaya Diggs-Hagwood came in to pinch run for Hudson and stole second and Myers stole home to take a 2-0 lead.  

The Lions fought back scoring one run in the third to cut the lead to 2-1, with hits from Camryn Davies and Kaci Neveling. TCNJ added two more runs in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. 

In the fifth, TCNJ scored four runs in the top of the inning taking a 7-2 lead over the host Marlins. Virginia Wesleyan battled back with a Laci Campbell single to left field, followed by a single from Alison Pollack up the middle to put a runner on first and second. Emma Adams singled up the middle to score Campbell to cut the lead to 7-3. Myers hit a sacrifice fly to score Pollack from third to cut the lead to 7-4. 

The Lions forced game seven with a 7-4 win away win over the Marlins. 

Emma Adams led the offense going 3-for-4 with a double, and one RBI, Caitlin Myers went 1-for-3 with a stolen base, scored one run, and had two RBI, and Laci Campbell went 1-for-3, with one run, and one walk.

GAME TWO
A close contest in game two as both teams were scoreless through three innings. Virginia Wesleyan broke the tie in the fourth inning, starting with a Julia Piotrowski single before a double to right center from Autumn Boothe scored Piotrowski to take a 1-0 lead. Anderson walked to put runners on first and second for Sarah Prosser who hit a single to center field that score pinch runner Makiya Himes from second. 

The Lions never gave up and tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning with an error from the catcher that scored Neveling, and a sacrifice fly from Mayernik scored Carifi from third that tied the game. 

Virginia Wesleyan countered with a lead-off walk to Prosser, Laci Campbell hit a bunt single to put runners at first and second, and Alison Pollack singled to right field to score Prosser from second. With two runners on Caitlin Myers hit a home run to left field that sealed the 6-2 win for the Marlins. 

Caitlin Myers led the team as she went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, Sarah Prosser went 2-for-3, scored one run, and one RBI, and Alison Pollack went 2-for-3, scored one run, and one RBI.

Lauren Bible got her third win of the tournament, pitched 7.0 innings, and allowed five hits, two-run, one earned run, and four strikeouts.