FOREST, Va. --- The new format of the ODAC Softball Tournament showed off the depth of talen in the conference, but ultimately the top two seeds advanced to the final best-of-three championship series following the first weekend of the league's postseason event. Top-seeded Roanoke College and second-seeded Randolph-Macon College will square off for the ODAC trophy this week at Botetourt Sports Complex in Troutville, Va.

Dates for the final series will be confirmed early this coming week. The final series is currently slated for Thursday and Friday, May 11-12. Possible conflicts with graduation ceremonies and other end-of-year functions on both campuses may allow for Friday and Saturday to serve as competition dates.

RELATED: Tournament Website | Game Schedule

Roanoke (27-10) played the minimum number of games to win Pod #1, but the Maroons did not find the going easy at Liberty University's Kamphuis Field with three one-run victories. Peanut Rivera singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to give Roanoke a 2-1 win over eighth-seeded Shenandoah University in the opener. In their second game against fifth-seeded University of Lynchburg, the Maroons scored three times in the first inning and led 5-1 after five frames. They withstood a fierce comeback from the Hornets, weathering a three-run sixth inning to earn a 5-4 triumph.

In the first of two possible contests to win, Roanoke again came away with a one-run triumph, this time by a 3-2 score over fourth-seeded Guilford College. Molly Epperson's pinch-hit RBI single in the fourth proved to be the winning knock with starter Jada Karnes registering her second complete game.

Randolph-Macon (36-8), ranked 12th in the country by the NFCA, played four times at home including three showdowns with 13th-ranked and third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan University. The Yellow Jackets opened with an offensive outburst in a 10-2 triumph over seventh-seeded Randolph College in six innings. Amanda Lanyon went deep and drove in three runs to support Gracie Ellis's 10-strikeout outing from the circle.

R-MC's second game was the first of three straight games against the Marlins. The Jackets won, 6-2, to put themselves into position to win the pod. Ellis went the distance to earn the win and R-MC took advantage of three VWU errors to plate six unearned runs.

After the Marlins topped Randolph, 7-6, in Saturday's third game, they stayed on the winning side with a 2-1 victory over Randolph-Macon in the first of two possible pod-winning contests. Lauren Bible scattered six hits and allowed just one unearned run for the win, while Laci Campbell's infield single in the seventh plated the go-ahead run.

In the winner-take-all final contest, Ellis was stellar with a three-hit shutout of the Marlins, 2-0. Lanyon's third-inning double and a Kayla Davis single in the sixth brought home the game's only runs.

Listed below is the current schedule for games in the championship series. Stay tuned for any updates to the schedule for both possible game date and game time changes. Weather may also play a factor in decisions surrounding play with lights available at the Botetourt Sports Complex.

For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites and stop by the ODAC tournament website.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2023 ODAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Best-of-3 Series at #1-4 Seeds | Roanoke (H) vs. Randolph-Macon (A)

• Game 1: Thursday, May 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET (date and time subject to change)
• Game 2: Friday, May 12 at 2:00 p.m. ET (date and time subject to change)
• Game 3 (if necessary): Friday, May 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET (date and time subject to change)