VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- The Juniata softball team dropped a pair of hard-fought games against the reigning National Champion and currently ranked #3 Virginia Wesleyan Marlins, 8-0 and 2-1, Sunday afternoon at TowneBank Park.
The first game saw Cate Baran (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone Area) and Katie White (New Milford, Pa. / Blue Ridge) combine to allow one baserunner over the first three innings as they kept the potent Marlin offense at bay. The fourth and fifth innings saw the hosts score two runs in each inning as they capitalized on some Eagle errors. In the sixth, Virginia Wesleyan tallied four more runs to end the game as Juniata could not overcome their miscues. Of the eight runs in the contest, only two were earned.
The second game saw Baran start on the mound, and other than a solo homer in the second, managed to again keep the bats of the Marlins subdued.
In the top of the sixth, Maya McLeod (San Diego, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day) reached safely on a fielder's choice, Alison Superka (Orefield, Pa. / Parkland) singled to center Caleigh Love (Yardley, Pa. / Pennsbury) followed with another single to center to load the bases. Emily Eutsey (Mount Pleasant, Pa. / Southmoreland) reached on an error by the first basemen, which allowed McLeod to cross home plate and tie the game.
The Marlins used two singles, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning to push a run across and retake the lead. The Eagles couldn't manage a tying run in the top of the seventh as the Marlins narrowly took game two, 2-1.
Juniata continues their spring break gauntlet with two more games against #9 Christopher Newport tomorrow. The first pitch is at 2:30.
