PURCHASE GAME DVD

SALEM, Va. – Senior Leigh Lam belted a three-run home run in the third inning to blow open a 3-2 contest and help propel the Bridgewater Eagles softball team to an 8-2 victory over Eastern Mennonite in an elimination game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament on Friday evening.

Bridgewater wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard in the second game of the day with a pair of runs in the first inning. Junior Kasey Anderson led off the inning with a single to left field and moved to second on a bunt single from Karie Burgess as the Eagles put two runners on with no outs. Following a fielder's choice groundout from the bat of Brooke Throckmorton, senior Aven Thomas dribbled a two-RBI single to the first baseman to put the Eagles in front, 2-0, after half an inning of play.

Eastern Mennonite responded immediately with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. The Royals used three hits including a Courtney Allman double to knot the game up at two runs each after the opening frame.

Both teams went down without a run before the Eagles blew the game open with a four-run third inning. After a pop up to open the inning, Throckmorton drilled a double to left field and was plated on a single from the bat of Melanie Lamb as the Eagles took a 3-2 advantage in the third. Two batters later, junior Brea Hinegardner singled to the shortstop to put runners on first and second. Lam worked the count full with two outs before blasting a Jordan Aylor pitch over the left field fence to build a 6-2 Bridgewater lead.

Thomas, Bridgewater's game two starter in the circle, held the Royals in check in the third and fourth while the Eagles added a pair of runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 8-2. Thomas opened the fifth with a single to right and was pushed to second on a Hinegardner sacrifice bunt. Lam reached on an error by the third baseman during the ensuing at-bat, while Thomas sprinted home from third on the throw to put the Eagles out in front, 7-2. Senior Heather Jenkins followed with a single up the middle, scoring Lam from third to finalize the scoring at an 8-2 tally.

Over the final three innings for the Royals, Thomas retired the Eastern Mennonite side in order in each frame as the Eagles rolled to an 8-2 win and advanced to Saturday play in the conference tournament.

Five Eagles tallied two hits each in the victory as Bridgewater belted 13 hits in the game. Thomas drove in two runs and scored an additional run in a 2-for-4 effort, while Lam led the way with three RBI and two runs scored.

Thomas secured the complete game win after allowing two runs on seven hits while fanning six Eastern Mennonite batters.

Eastern Mennonite was led offensively by a pair of two-hit games from Brooke Hensley and Aislinn Lucas.

Aylor was tagged with the loss after allowing six Bridgewater runs on eight hits over 2 and 2/3 innings of work.

Bridgewater advances to tomorrow's 11 a.m. game on field one of the James I. Moyer Complex against the winner of the Roanoke vs. Lynchburg game slated for Friday at 6:30 p.m.