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Softball

ODAC Softball Report: Week 5

Spring Break trips and tournament play dominated ODAC softball schedules over the past week with league teams playing 38 games with only a single doubleheader representing conference competition. Randolph-Macon, ranked 23rd by the NFCA, swept that series with home wins over Shenandoah. The Yellow Jackets and Bridgewater went 4-0 for the week, while Sweet Briar posted a 6-0 mark. Sixth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan took on strong national competition and went 3-1 with wins over #1 East Texas Baptist and #22 Moravian. Roanoke swept a series from Pitt-Bradford, while EMU went 2-2 in the Royals four non-league outings.

Three ODAC schools have reached double figures for wins – Randolph-Macon (14-2), Virginia Wesleyan (13-1), Sweet Briar (11-3). Three others have nine wins – Roanoke (9-5), Bridgewater (9-3), Lynchburg (9-3). Nine of the league's 12 programs have .500 or better records.

Two ODAC pitchers – Ambyre Taylor from Sweet Briar and Gracie Ellis from Randolph-Macon – hurled five-inning no-hitters and came up one baserunner shy each of perfect games. Ellis won three times to set the career record for victories (75) at RMC.

  • AMBYRE TAYLOR | SWEET BRIAR | SO. | RHP | ARRINGTON, VA.
    Taylor, a sophomore righty from Arrington, Va., toed the pitching plate four times for Sweet Briar and went 3-0 with a save while not allowing a run and fanning 27 batters over 19.0 innings to earn her first ODAC weekly award. Taylor came one baserunner shy of a perfect game in posting a five-inning no-hitter to defeat SUNY Canton in her first of three starts on the week. She recorded all but one out via strikeout, turning the first seven batters she faced back to the dugout and finishing the game with six more swinging punchouts. Taylor allowed her first batter of the week to reach base via hit or walk with a one-out free pass in the second inning of a 1-0 shutout of Penn College. She gave up two hits and walked two with five strikeouts in seven innings of work. Taylor got her third win by working the first 4.0 frames in an 8-0 triumph over Hilbert. She gave up four hits and did not walk a batter while fanning five. Taylor closed her week with a three-inning save to preserve an 11-6 win over Minnesota-Morris. She did not allow a hit and walked one while striking out three. For the season, Taylor is 4-0 with a save in eight appearances including seven starts. She has allowed 21 runs (14 earned) on 27 hits with 17 walks and 49 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.

  • JORDAN MARTIN | SWEET BRIAR | SO. | CF | WILMINGTON, N.C.
    Martin, a sophomore centerfielder from Wilmington, N.C., did exactly what a leadoff hitter should do by reaching base in 16-of-20 plate appearances (.800 OBP) to provide her teammates with plenty of RBI opportunities (10 runs scored) to earn her first ODAC weekly award and help Sweet Briar to five of the Vixens' six wins in a 6-0 week. Martin went 10-for-14 (.714) with three walks, three HBP's, two doubles, a triple, an RBI, and five stolen bases. She went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored in a 9-0 win over SUNY Canton. She was 3-for-3 with a walk, double, triple, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in a 6-1 triumph over Franciscan (Pa.). She stole a base in the Vixens' 1-0 blanking of Penn College, and closed her week by going a combined 5-for-5 with a walk, three HBPs, a double, an RBI, five runs scored, and two steals in wins over Hilbert (8-0) and Minnesota-Morris (11-6). For the season, Martin is hitting .514 (19-of-37) with a 1.309 OPS, 21 runs scored, and nine stolen bases.

Ambyre Taylor
Jordan Martin