FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Sweet Briar College softball team (1-1, 0-0 ODAC) opened up the 2025 season with a program first as the Vixens split today's doubleheader against the University of Mary Washington Eagles (1-1, 0-0 C2C).
Game One
The team took an early 1-0 lead as sophomore
Ambyre Taylor's (Arrington, Va.) sacrifice fly to center field in the first allowed fellow sophomore
Jordan Martin (Wilmington, N.C.) to score.
Sweet Briar then tacked on another run in the second inning thanks to sophomore
Emma Staton's (Buckingham, Va.) which scored sophomore
Jordan Dorrier (Buckingham, Va.).
The Vixens answered Mary Washington's run in the bottom of the second with two of their own in the top of the third. Junior
Kaylie Hudson (Lynchburg, Va.) took advantage of a passed ball to cross home plate while fellow junior
Ilka-Marie Kuleba (Endy, N.C.) had an RBI single to score Taylor.
The Eagles would continue to hang around, however, as they tallied two in the fourth to bring the score to 4-3. In the top of the fifth, four more runs would be tacked on as junior
Lauren Jamerson (Buckingham, Va.), Dorrier, Kuleba and Stanton all scored to increase the lead five.
A one-run bottom of the fifth followed by two runs scored in the top of the sixth and six runs for the home team in the bottom of the inning tied things up at 10.
Junior
Victoria Tew's (Hope Mills, N.C.) RBI single in the top of the eighth to score first-year
Madeline Schmidt (Fluvanna, Va.) gave the Vixens the 11-10 victory.
In the circle, Taylor got the start and saw 5.2 innings of action while striking out five. Junior
Alyssa O'Quinn (Powhatan, Va.) earned the eventual win for the Vixens while first-year
Abi Sawyers (Matthews, N.C.) got the save in her first collegiate game.
Game Two
Another close game followed in the second half of today's doubleheader.
After a scoreless first inning, the Eagles totaled two runs in the second and one in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
Despite getting Sweet Briar on the board with an RBI from Tew, Mary Washington's five-run fourth inning increased the lead to seven.
An error in the fifth led to a run scored by first-year
Grace Rokos (Jacksonville, N.C.) and an additional run was scored by Hudson who was sent home on an RBI single from fellow junior
Anna Smith (Rocky Mount, Va.).
The Vixens continued to fight with a four-run top of the sixth. Sophomore
Ruby Hite (Clarksville, Va.), Rokos and Jamerson scored for Sweet Briar as they came to within one run when the game was called at a score of 8-7 due to darkness.
Sawyers got the start at pitcher for the team and saw action through the first three innings. O'Quinn came in came in for the start of the fourth before handing the reigns over to Smith who closed out the game.
Highlight
- Today's first-game victory over the Eagles marks the first in program history.
- Three Vixens made their collegiate debuts today.
- Both Dorrier and Martin wrapped up today's doubleheader with a .500 batting average and a .750 slugging percentage.
What's Next
The Vixens will head to Methodist on April 23rd.
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