SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke dropped a pair of games in the opening day of the ODAC Tournament Friday at the Moyer Sports Complex. The Maroons fell to Randolph, 11-3 in five innings in the opener and to Virginia Wesleyan, 5-2 to end their season. The women finished 30-9 on the year, only the ninth time in program-history to do so and the first since 2006.

 

Randolph (21-20) scored seven runs in the first two innings of play before the Maroons got on the board in the first game of the day for Roanoke. Sara Caudle (Irvington, VA, Lancaster)hit a two-run blast to left field for her eighth homer of the season to close to within five. Meghan Weingard (Boca Raton, FL, North Broward Prep)scored off a wild pitch to make the score, 7-3 after two complete.

 

Up 8-3 in the fifth, Randolph, which leads the ODAC in hitting this spring, scored three more runs and held off the Maroons in the bottom half of the inning to finish the game early.

 

Abigail Rexrode (Fincastle, VA, James River)(9-4) took the loss for Roanoke, giving up four earned runs in 1.1 innings. Kelsey Ruitenberg (Geneva, IL, Geneva)closed the game in the final three innings with three strikeouts and one earned run allowed.

 

Weingard went 2-for-2 with a run as Hollee Warlitner (Clifton Forge, VA, Alleghany)finished 1-for-3 with a double. Ruitenberg helped her cause with a single, as did Taylor Zahn (Sandston, VA, Mills Godwin)and Lisa Scruggs (Madison Heights, VA, Holy Cross)as the Maroons totaled seven hits.

 

The Maroons fell behind, 5-0 early to Virginia Wesleyan (31-8) and couldn't climb back as they fell, 5-2 to the Marlins to end their season.

 

With the score, 1-0 in the top of the third, VWC scored four runs after a two-RBI double and a two-run homer to pull away, 5-0 by the end of the inning. 

 

Roanoke continued to show some fight in them, scoring two runs in the fifth to make it a three-run game. Both Felice Lowery (Madison Heights, VA, Lynchburg Christian)and Alea Bier (Bent Mountain, VA, Cave Spring)singled to start the inning. Zeman stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI-single to bring home Bier to put the Maroons on the scoreboard. She advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored from second off a Warlitner single to put the Maroons back in the game.

 

The Maroons threatened in the bottom of the sixth, as Scruggs beat out an infield single to lead off the inning. Pinch-runner Lindly Theroux (Chesapeake, VA, Nansemond River)advanced to second off to put her in scoring position. But the final two batters struck out to end the scoring threat.

 

With two outs in Roanoke's final at bat, Zeman wasn't done playing, as she reached first off a throwing error. But the comeback attempt fell short as the Maroons struck out to end the game.

 

Lis Norwich (Hegins, PA, Tri-Valley)(5-2) took the loss for Roanoke, going 2.1 innings with two strikeouts, giving up five earned runs. Bier, Scruggs and Zeman each went 2-for-4 as Zeman also had her first triple of the season in her final collegiate game. Warlitner and Caudle added base hits as the Maroons finished with nine hits.

 

The Maroons will depart seven seniors, Abbey Greenberg, Beth Nicoll, Ruitenberg, Christina Sargent, Theroux, Taylor Zahn and Zeman, who have dedicated four years to the Roanoke softball program.