SWEET BRIAR, Va. – The Sweet Briar College softball team (3-3, 0-0 ODAC) bounced back from an 18-9 loss in game one against the Southern Virginia University Knights (1-1, 0-0 USA South) with a 3-2 walk-off win in game two.
Game One
The Vixens got out to an early two-run lead off an RBI double from first-year
Grace Rokos (Jacksonville, N.C.) scored sophomore
Jordan Martin (Wilmington, N.C.) and an RBI single to center field by junior
Kaylie Hudson (Lynchburg, Va.) brought Rokos home.
However, Southern Virginia answered with a six-run top of the third while Rokos scored for the second time in the game thanks to a sacrifice fly from sophomore
Ambyre Taylor (Arrington, Va.) to cut the deficit to three.
Sweet Briar's six-run inning in the fourth game them a 9-6 lead, but the bats heated up for the Knights in the final three innings of play. With 12 runs scored through the fifth, sixth and seventh, Southern Virginia came away with the eventual 18-9 victory.
Taylor got the start in the circle for the Vixens and struck out five through five innings of action. Both junior
Anna Smith (Rocky Mount, Va.) and first-year
Annie Purvis (Madison Heights, Va.) pitched in one inning and faced eight and eleven batters, respectively.
Senior
Victoria Tew (Hope Mills, N.C.) led the team with three hits and four putouts while junior
Lauren Jamerson (Buckingham, Va.) totaled two RBIs.
Game Two
Game two of the doubleheader was a much closer affair with the Knights getting the first run on the board in the first inning.
First-year
Abi Sawyers' (Matthews, N.C.) home run got the Vixens on the board and tied the game up while fellow first-year
Leila Atienza's (Jacksonville, N.C.) right field single sent Jamerson home to take the 2-1 lead.
Southern Virginia tied things back up in the third and the next four innings went scoreless to keep both teams deadlocked at two entering the seventh.
After holding the Knights scoreless, Atienza hit another single, this time to left field, to get a runner on. First-year
Madeline Schmidt (Fluvanna, Va.) came into the game as a pinch runner for Atienza and made her way to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Martin.
Schmidt then went on to steal third in the next at-bat setting up Hudson for the walk-off hit. Hudson's single to center field was the hit that brought Schmidt home and sealed the victory for Sweet Briar.
Sawyers pitched another complete game to earn her second victory of the season and struck out four.
Atienza led the team with three hits while first baseman sophomore
Jordan Dorrier (Buckingham, Va.) totaled nine putouts.
Highlights
- Sawyers is currently ranked 17th in the conference with a 2.33 ERA while Taylor leads the ODAC in both batters struck out (13) and batters struck out looking (7).
- Today's walk-off hit marks the first of Hudson's career.
What's Next
The Vixens will continue action this week on the road at Gallaudet on March 1st and Notre Dame of Maryland on March 2nd.
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