Posted: Apr 24, 2015
In the first game of the day, all of Roanoke's runs came in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Rachel Guilliams hit a single to right field. Taylor Carter followed with a bunt single, advancing Guilliams to second base. Taylor Sutherland followed suit with a single of her own, bringing home Guilliams from second. Katie Smith took a walk to load the bases, where Kelly Higbie hit an out to right field, but Carter scored on an error by the catcher. The final run came as Smith (on first) and Sutherland (on third) pulled off a double steal, taking a 3-0 lead for the Maroons.
The Wasps led off the next inning with a solo home run by Leah Elswick, but that proved to be the final run of the game as Roanoke picked up the 3-1 win in the ODAC Tournament opener.
The Maroons finished game one with eight hits, led by Taylor Sutherland and Rachel Guilliams, who each tallied two hits. Taylor Carter, Katie Smith, Samantha Baldwin and Ruthie Williams all notched one hit apiece. Carter, Sutherland and Guilliams crossed the plate once each, while Sutherland had the lone RBI. Kelly Higbie pitched a complete game, giving up just one run off two hits, striking out five batters.
The Wasps finished with just two hits, one each from Leah Elswick and Jordan Chrisley. Leah Elswick had the teams only run after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning. Brandy Bryant was tabbed with the loss, giving up three runs off eight hits, while striking out two.
The Maroons had a couple of tough innings against Lynchburg in game number two. With one out in the top of the third, Nicole Riley reached on a fielding error, while Jessi Hall reached on a walk. Kayla St. John grounded out but it moved the runners one base each. Amber Ingram hit a two RBI single to right field, plating Hall and Riley. Two batters later, Leslie Bourgeois hit an RBI single to right field, plating another run. After three, the Maroons trailed 3-0. The Hornets scored three more runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 6-0 lead after four.
Roanoke's lone run came from a solo home run by Rhea Schleicher in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to five runs, 6-1.
The Maroons finished the contest with three hits, with Higbie, Schleicher and Ruthie Williams notching one each. Rhea Schleicher had both the only run and RBI for the team with her solo shot in the fifth. Kelly Higbie was tabbed with the loss, giving up three runs off two hits, while striking out one. Ruthie Williams came in for relief in the third, and also gave up three runs, striking out three.
The Hornets were led in hitting by Amber Ingram, who went 2-4 with one run and three RBIs. Jessi Hall scored two runs, while Kayla St. John had two RBIs. Conner English pitched a complete game with one run on three hits, striking out seven.
The Maroons will be back in action on Saturday, April 25th as they take on Guilford College in an elimination game. That game will be played on field two at 9:00 AM at the Moyer Complex. If the Maroons win that game, they will play again at 11:30 AM on field one. Please continue to check out the website as times may change due to potential rain coming through the area.
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