Box Score SALEM, Va. – Senior Emily Morris singled through the left side in the eighth inning driving in freshman Kasey Anderson for the Bridgewater Eagles softball team as they eliminated the Roanoke Maroons with a 2-1 win in an elimination game of the ODAC tournament.
After a scoreless first inning, Roanoke got on the board in the bottom of the second when an error on second baseman Emily Morris allowed Alea Bier to reach, pushing in Felice Lowery to put the Maroons up 1-0 after two.
Both teams' bats went silent in the middle innings, as the pitchers locked up in a duel to keep Roanoke ahead 1-0.
Bridgewater finally got on the board in the sixth when a Melanie Lamb RBI single drove in Anderson to knot the game up at one each.
Roanoke looked to avoid extras when a pair of fielding errors on the Eagles in the bottom of the seventh put runners at first and third with one away.
On a ground ball to Hillary Rees at shortstop, the Mount Crawford, Va. native went home, gunning down the base-runner before Rees snagged a sharply hit liner to get the Eagles out of the inning, pushing the game to the eighth.
In the extra set, Bridgewater looked to push a number of runs across, but only scraped out one when Morris' single through the left side brought in Anderson to put the Eagles up 2-1.
Roanoke pushed its runner to third in the bottom of the frame, but a groundout and line out to Rees ended the game, giving Bridgewater a hard-fought 2-1 win, keeping the Eagles alive in the loser's bracket of the conference tournament.
Senior Kristen Combs led the Eagles at the plate with a 2-for-3 game, while six other players pitched in a hit each for the Bridgewater bats.
In the circle, Aven Thomas turned in a solid performance, allowing just one run on six hits in eight complete innings of action. Thomas struck out three in the win.
Roanoke was led offensively by 2-for-3 game from leadoff hitter Leona Rainey.
Stephanie Clark picked up the loss for the Maroons, allowing both runs in eight innings of work.
Bridgewater is back in action on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. against a team that has yet to be determined.
