SEGUIN, Texas – The No. 15 Emory & Henry College Softball Team (27-7) got the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament started with a 4-0 win over Bridgewater State College (17-10-1) Friday afternoon in the Seguin Regional. The Wasps are the #2 seed in the tournament while the Bears are the #5 seed.
The contest marked E&H's third appearance in the national postseason in the past five seasons (2017, 2019) and the first since a 12-inning marathon against Transylvania University in the Demorest Regional in 2019.
The Basics
GAME TWO – #2 (No. 15) Emory & Henry 4, #5 Bridgewater State 0
LOCATION – Seguin, Texas
VENUE – Kruse Stadium - Morck Softball Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (27-7, 13-3 ODAC); Bridgewater State (17-10-1, 6-3-1 MASCAC)
Game Two – #2 (No. 15) Emory & Henry 4, #5 Bridgewater State 0
BSU loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first, but E&H senior right-hander Cameron Derr (Denver, N.C.) completed the inning with her third strikeout.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore right fielder Emily Scaggs (Riner, Va.) and junior second baseman Hailey Mince (Trinity, N.C.) singled up the middle. A walk by junior left fielder Nicole Cox (Cedar Falls, N.C.) loaded the bases.
Scaggs scored on a wild pitch on the next at bat as senior first baseman Kendall Varner (Bassett, Va.) walked to reload the bases. Senior designated player Alex Braun (Lexington, S.C.) plated Mince with a bunt single and senior third baseman Allyson Steadman (Kingsport, Tenn.) drove in Cox with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3-0.
After freshman catcher Morgan Silvis (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) reached on a dropped fly ball to get the fourth started, Mince came up with a RBI single up the middle to push the lead to 4-0. The Bears got their first hit of the afternoon with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but were unable to break into the scoring column.
Another pair of baserunners followed in the sixth for Bridgewater State, but Mince was a magnet for balls at second base, as she had a pair of groundout assists. A three-up, three-down inning in the seventh was highlighted by the final out of the game as Steadman showed off her agility by charging the ball and throwing the batter out at first.
Mince also led the Wasps at the plate, going two-for-three with a RBI and a run scored while Braun had a hit and a RBI. Derr earned the one-hit shutout, scattering seven walks and one hit batsman while striking out 12. It was her fifth game with 10 or more strikeouts this season.
Alexandra Ruprecht got the lone base hit for the Bears while Megan Sharon drew a pair of walks and had a stolen base. Kelly Reichert suffered the loss in the circle, allowing three earned runs on six hits with two walks.
Up Next
Emory & Henry advances in the Seguin Regional to face the winner of #3 (No. 11) Christopher Newport University and #4 Emmanuel (Mass) College. The contest will be played at 1:30 p.m. CDT (2:30 p.m. Eastern) on Saturday afternoon.
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