VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --- Mackenzie Myers' sacrifice fly to score Julia Piotrowski in the sixth inning was enough for Virginia Wesleyan University to thwart a late comeback attempt by Randolph-Macon College and post a 3-2 win over the Yellow Jackets to secure the Marlins 16th ODAC softball championship on Sunday afternoon at TowneBank Park.
The Marlins (41-3-1) went 3-0 in Salem last weekend to claim their pod title before winning the first two games of the best-of-three championship series to wrap up their eighth championship of the past nine conducted by the ODAC. Randolph-Macon (34-11) also went 3-0 in Salem and nearly forced a winner-take-all third game before the VWU's late run.
Virginia Wesleyan earns the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Softball Championship bracket. The Yellow Jackets await Monday's bracket release on NCAA.com to learn if they are officially an at-large pick to the 64-team field.
After posting a 7-1 win on Saturday in the first game of the championship series, Virginia Wesleyan got started early in game two with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. In a first-and-third double-steal situation, Morgan Tucker broke for second while Laci Campbell delayed her attempt for home. RMC's shortstop cut off the throw to second and fired home with the throw elluding the catcher, allowing both runners to score.
Pitchers Gracie Ellis and Hannah Hearl kept both teams off-balance during the middle innings with neither team able to impact the scoreboard.
Randolph-Macon broke the five-inning dearth of runs with two in the sixth to knot the score at 2-2. Kayla Davis drove in Amanda Lanyon with a single through the left side for the Yellow Jackets first run. Charlotte Boswell followed two batters later with a second single to left to bring around Naomi Sadler.
Virginia Wesleyan immediately regained the lead in the bottom of the frame with Myers' sac fly to plate Piotrowski.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Kadence Woodlief (SS), Averett
- Evelyn Rhoads (P), Bridgewater
- Amber Greiner (P), Ferrum
- Lexi Powell (CF), Lynchburg
- Leah Butts (C), Roanoke
- Brenna Snyder (1B), Shenandoah
- Kayla Davis (C), Randolph-Macon
- Gracie Ellis (P), Randolph-Macon
- Naomi Sadler (DP), Randolph-Macon
- Lauren Bible (P), Virginia Wesleyan
- Samanthan Dietsch (OF), Virginia Wesleyan
- Hannah Hearl (P-MOP), Virginia Wesleyan
- Mackenzie Myers (3B), Virginia Wesleyan
- Morgan Tucker (DP), Virginia Wesleyan