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PURCHASE GAME ONE DVD
PURCHASE GAME TWO DVD
BRIDGEWATER, Va. – In a non-conference twinbill at the Jopson Softball Field, the Bridgewater Eagles softball team ran its winning streak to six games with a sweep of visiting Southern Virginia on Friday evening.
Bridgewater used a three-run fourth to roll to a 5-2 victory in the opener before exploding at the plate in the second game in an 11-6 win.
Junior Kasey Anderson led off the first game with a single and swiped second base to put a runner in scoring position before Sarah Goodman reached on a throwing error by the first baseman and Anderson cruised home to put the Eagles out in front, 1-0.
Both teams settled down in the second and third prior to Bridgewater opening the game up in the fourth. Senior Aven Thomas singled through the left side to open the inning and moved to third on an error by the pitcher on Brea Hinegardner's sacrifice bunt as the Eagles put runners on the corners with no outs. Senior Leigh Lam followed with a bunt single to load the bases before a Morgan Williams single to right center plated Thomas and Hinegardner to build the Eagles' lead to 3-0. Williams scored two batters later on a wild pitch to extend the Bridgewater lead to 4-0 after four complete.
Starting pitcher Heather Jenkins put the Knights bats down in order in the top of the fifth and the Eagles added another run in the frame to extend its lead to 5-0. Freshman Brooke Throckmorton reached on a one-out single but went to third on a fielding error by the centerfielder as the Eagles had a runner at third with one out. Throckmorton was pushed in one batter later on a groundout from Thomas to put the Eagles out in front, 5-0.
Southern Virginia answered with a run in the top of the sixth and another run in the seventh as the Eagles struggled in the field over the final two innings but the Knights couldn't muster enough offense down the stretch as Bridgewater rolled to a 5-2 win.
Williams led the way for the Eagles at the plate with a 2-for-3 game. The Richmond, Va. native tallied two RBI and scored once in the game.
Jenkins earned her 10th win of the year with a solid effort in the circle. The senior allowed two runs on two hits in a complete-game effort.
Two Southern Virginia batters recorded a hit each in the loss while McKenzy Mackay picked up the loss in the circle after allowing five runs on seven hits across six innings of work.
Southern Virginia wasted little time in taking the lead in the nightcap as the Knights scored two runs on three hits in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 advantage.
But the Knights' lead was short lived as Bridgewater responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to knot the game up at two runs each after the first inning of play. Following a foul out to open the inning, freshman Haley Lloyd drew a walk prior to fellow freshman Karie Burgess drilling the first pitch she saw over the left center field fence to knot the game up, 2-2.
Both teams failed to put up a run on the board in the second, but the Knights posted two more runs in the third as Southern Virginia owned a 4-2 lead after two-and-a-half.
As the Eagles have done all week, the Southern Virginia lead was brief as Bridgewater answered with four runs in the third to take the lead for good at a 6-4 tally.
Anderson led off the inning with a walk and was pushed to second on a Lloyd single. Burgess drew a walk to load the bases, but a strikeout during the next plate appearance put an out on the board. Freshman relief pitcher Brianna Cox drew a one-out walk with the sacks full to push home Anderson and chip the Southern Virginia lead to 4-3. Thomas put the Eagles out in front for good during the next at-bat when she stung a 1-1 pitch to the right field gap for a bases-clearing double to put Bridgewater up 6-4.
Southern Virginia nicked Cox for a run in the fourth to cut the lead to 6-5 which is where it would remain until the sixth.
Cox put the Knights down in order in the top of the sixth before Bridgewater exploded for five runs to blow the game wide open. Burgess plated freshman Throckmorton on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to open the scoring before an error on the Southern Virginia centerfielder allowed Burgess and Lloyd to score and build up a 9-5 Bridgewater lead. Cox followed with a double to center field, scoring Goodman before being pushed home on a Thomas double to the left field gap to round out the inning and hand Bridgewater an 11-5 advantage.
Southern Virginia tacked a run on the board in the seventh but it wasn't enough as the Eagles rolled to an 11-6 victory in the second game.
Lloyd and Thomas led the Bridgewater offense in the nightcap with two hits each. Thomas drove in a game-high four runs in the win while Burgess added three as Bridgewater pounded out 11 hits in the finale.
Cox picked up her second win of the week in relief of Thomas. The Bumpass, Va. native allowed two runs on four hits across the final 4 and 2/3 innings of the contest.
Southern Virginia first baseman Malia Falevai turned in a 3-for-4 performance in the second game to lead the way for the Knights' offense.
Mackay picked up the loss after allowing 11 runs on eight hits in six innings of work.
Bridgewater is back in action on Sunday at Emory & Henry. Start time against the Wasps is set for 2 p.m.
