SALEM, Va. --- Nationally top-ranked and No. 1 seed Virginia Wesleyan University and No. 6 seed Bridgewater College are one step closer to lifting an ODAC trophy after both clubs took the shortest route to win their respective pods after three days of competition at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.
Virginia Wesleyan (43-0) and Bridgewater (29-14) both went 3-0 at the home of the 2026 Division III Softball Championship finals. The Marlins defeated Guilford College (7-2) on Friday and the University of Lynchburg (14-0) on Saturday before topping Roanoke College (4-0) on Sunday to clinch a berth in the conference finals. The Eagles beat Randolph-Macon College (6-3) on Friday before earning a 3-1 win over Averett on Saturday followed by a finals-clinching 6-2 triumph over the Cougars on Sunday.
VWU will play host to BC next week in the final games of the conference tournament. Dates and times are to be determined once graduation schedules and predicted weather are considered. The intent is for the teams to play one game on the first day with one game plus the "if" game on day two.
Both of Sunday's contests were quick, but the VWU-RC clash was especially swift with Marlins' lefty Emma Adams and Maroons' righty Baylee Compton shutting down both offenses early.
The first runs of the game came in third innig with VWU plating three Marlins. Laci Campbell brought in Karley Beltran with a sacifice fly after the VWU shortstop singled, moved up on a wild pitch, and took third on a passed ball. Taylor McQueen followed later in the inning with a two-run two-out double to left that scored Morgan Tucker and Samantha Deitsch.
Adams helped herself with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt to bring in battery-mate Olivia Knight for the game's fourth run in the sixth.
Adams improved to 20-0 with a three-hit shutout (3rd) and seventh complete game. Compton closed hte year at 9-7 after going the distance for a ninth time.
Deitsch and Beltran each went 3-for-3 at the dish to lead all hitters. Deitsch also stole a base to go with a double, while McQueen's double and a triple from Knight that nearly wasn't following a great effort in center by RC's Erin Gorschboth account for the game's extra-base hits.
There was a bit more offense in the Bridgewater versus Averett tilt. Caroline Malandra started it for BC in the third with an RBI doubles to left-center to score Aniella Baldwin. McKenna Mueller made it 2-0 Eagles with a sac fly that plated Malandra.
Averett responded with one in the top of the fourth. Brianna Brooks doubled to left-center to bring around Kadence Woodlief.
Bridgewater added three in the bottom of the frame. Kaelyn Ramsey singled home Lexi Schaaf, but then Eagles' righty Mackenzie Cauthorn helped her own cause with a two-run blast over the left field fence for a 5-1 BC advantage.
The Eagles made it 5-1 in fifth with Lily Moyers scoring Molly Ecroyd with a sac fly to left. Averett closed the scoring in the seventh with a Kennidy Kirby single to center that scored Sarahy Lysohir.
Cauthorn improved to 17-7 with the win, surrendering two runs on seven hits with three K's. Hannah Zabik took the loss as one of four pitchers for the Cougars. She closed the year at 14-7 after giving up two runs on five hits.
BC's Baldwin and Schaaf were joined by AU's Woodlief with two hits each.