SALEM, Va. --- Virginia Wesleyan College catcher Taylor Galvin smacked a walk-off double with two-out in the ninth inning to plate the Marlins' 10th run towards a 10-9 extra-inning victory over Eastern Mennonite University on Monday afternoon at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. The win locks up the Marlins ninth ODAC softball title, the most in conference-history.
A pair of flyouts sandwiched the third intentional walk by EMU of VWC slugger Cassetty Howerin to set the stage for Galvin. She sent an 0-2 pitch to the wall in left-center, which was plenty deep enough for Howerin, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, to motor around from first base and cross the plate for the fourth time on the afternoon.
Galvin's two-bagger was her second hit and the 19th of the contest for VWC, with the two teams combining for 30 knocks in the second ODAC championship game to need extra innings in the past four years. Virginia Wesleyan posted an 8-6 triumph over Shenandoah University in the 2013 tournament-capper, concluding a 19-inning marathon as the longest game (by innings) in conference history.
Virginia Wesleyan (38-5) receives the ODAC's automatic entry in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. Eastern Mennonite (31-14) must wait until Monday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m. to see if it earns an at-large bid into the field of 62 teams on the NCAA selection show (www.ncaa.com).
NCAA Softball Website
Fans may have waited an extra day for the conference championship game, but EMU catcher Carli Hill treated them to instant fireworks as she belted the second offering of the game from Kandis Kresinske beyond the fence in left for a quick 1-0 lead. Tiffani Shaheen followed with a triple to right-center and came in on a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt by Mariah Foltz.
Virginia Wesleyan cut EMU's 2-0 lead in half in the second inning. Galvin and Jessica Lindsay singled to put runners on first and second with one down. LeAnn Adkins followed with a RBI single. Royals' starter Sydney Reath struck out both Beth Ford and Kiersten Richardson to get out of what turned into a bases loaded one-out jam after Reath hit Courtney Bogan with a pitch.
Shaheen and Foltz jumpstarted EMU's offense towards two more runs in the top of the third. They both singled, with Shaheen moving to third on a throwing error by Adkins at second. Danyele Smith singled home Shaheen as Foltz advanced to third. Aislinn Lucas followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to left to put EMU on top, 4-1.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the frame with Howerin leading off with a double, her second in as many at bats. Kayla Dost singled and Galvin walked to load the bases. Essence Jackson plated both Howerin and Dost with a single to left. Reath worked out of the inning from there, keeping her team ahead, 4-3.
EMU's one-run advtange would trade hands in the fourth inning. With two down and the bases empty, EMU elected to intentionally walk Howerin to bring up Dost. VWC's third baseman made good on the opportunity as she smacked a two-run shot just beyond the fence in centerfield to give the Marlins' their first lead at 5-4 thru four innings.
Eastern Mennonite turned the tides in the sixth inning as they put up five runs on the Marlins, matching the most VWC has allowed in an inning this season. Miller led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lucas. Miller came around to score on a single by Reath. Mary Shipp entered in relief of Kresinske after Lauren Seale worked a free pass and pinch hitter Payton Hill fouled out to left. A passed ball led to an intentional walk of Hill to load the bases and setup force outs at all bases. The strategy backfired as back-to-back singles by Shaheen and Foltz, as well as an errant throw from the outfield, plated three more Royals runs for a 9-5 EMU lead thru 5.5 innings.
The Marlins responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth beginning with Kiersten Richardson's lead-off single. Dost came up with her second big hit following a Howerin intentional walk as she doubled down the left-field line to score Richardson and put runners on second and third with no one out. Seale took over in the circle for the Royals, but she was unable to stop VWC from scoring two more runs. Galvin plated one with a sac fly to left, while Teresa Cardamone's pinch-hit two-out single brought around Dost to leave EMU clinging to a 9-8 lead heading to the seventh.
Shipp set down the Royals in order, giving VWC a chance to tie the game in the seventh. With Reath back on the rubber, Bogan opened with a single and stole second, setting the NCAA Division III record for steals in a season (68) in the process. After Richardson was hit by a pitch, Seale returned to the circle to pitch for EMU. Howerin greeted her with a single thru the right side to bring around Bogan and tie the game 9-all. Seale got Dost to fly out to right and saw centerfielder Shaheen snare a diving liner and then double-up Richardson at third to end the inning.
Neither team mustered much in the eighth and the same was true of EMU in the ninth thanks to Richardson's solo double play that saw the Marlins' shortstop topple over Foltz at second base to complete the throw to first. That set up VWC's winner in the bottom of the frame.
Shipp earned the win for VWC, moving to 19-4 on the season with 3.1 innings of relief. Seale was saddled with the loss, falling to 11-6 on the season.
Howerin, Dost and Jackson registered three hits each for VWC, with Dost driving in three runs. Galvin and Jackson registered two RBI each. Howerin and Dost combined to score seven runs.
Shaheen and Foltz collected three hits apiece as the top of EMU's lineup -- Hill, Shaheen and Foltz -- went 8-for-13 with five RBI. Reath was 2-for-4 in addition to hurling five innings from the circle.
ODAC SOFTBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mariah Foltz, Eastern Mennonite
Tiffani Shaheen, Eastern Mennonite
Sydney Reath, Eastern Mennonite
Mackenzie Chitwood, Lynchburg
Nicole Riley, Lynchburg
Courtney Bogan, Virginia Wesleyan
Kayla Dost, Virginia Wesleyan
Beth Ford, Virginia Wesleyan
Taylor Galvin, Virginia Wesleyan
Cassetty Howerin, Virginia Wesleyan (MOP)
Essence Jackson, Virginia Wesleyan
Mary Shipp, Virginia Wesleyan