The Basics – ODAC Semifinals
Game 1
Score: #4 Roanoke 2 | #1 Virginia Wesleyan 3
Records: Maroons 21-10 | Marlins 34-5-1
Location: Virginia Beach, Va.
The Lead: The Roanoke College softball trip headed east to face the #1 seeded Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in the semifinals of the 2021 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Roanoke would take a 2-0 lead over their hosts heading into the bottom of the sixth. A pair of runs by the Marlins, ranked #1 in the NFCA national rankings, would tie the score. Virginia Wesleyan would complete the comeback with a run in the bottom of the seventh for the, 3-2, series opening win. Game two would see the Marlins take the momentum from their comeback and race out to a big lead, eliminating the Maroons from the ODAC Tournament, 7-0.
How it Happened:
- The two teams would combine for just one hit over the first four innings as a dual between Jada Karnes and Hannah Hull was in full swing.
- Roanoke broke through in the fifth to take the game's first lead. Meri Bostic walked. After a pair of strikeouts, Rebecca Hensley delivered the two-out RBI with a double to the base of the right centerfield wall.
- One inning later, the Maroons would load the bases and pinch hitter Riley Croghan drew a walk to make it a 2-0 advantage.
- However, in the bottom half of the inning, a walk and back-to-back doubles would tie the score at 2-2.
- Roanoke failed to score in the top half, but in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins would use a two-out error and single to score the winning run, 3-2.
- Karnes went the distance giving up just two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Hensley and Bostic recorded the only two hits for a Maroons team that did draw nine bases on balls, two each by Brooke Trapuzzano and Rachel Sirbaugh.
The Basics
Game 2
Score: #4 Roanoke 8 | #1 Virginia Wesleyan
Records: Maroons 21-11 | Marlins 35-5-1
Location: Virginia Beach, Va.
How it Happened:
- One run in the first and two more in the second would see Virginia Wesleyan take an early lead.
- The Marlins used 14 hits to score seven runs while holding Roanoke scoreless throughout.
- The Maroons were once again held to just two hits, one apiece from Trapuzzano and Bostic.
- Karnes got the start and was relieved by Savannah Thorne.
