VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Nationally top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan University remained perfect on the season, backing up Friday’s 1-0 win over Bridgewater College with a 12-2 triumph over the Eagles in five innings on Saturday to win the ODAC’s best-of-three championship series and lift the program’s third straight and record 17th overall conference softball title.
Saturday’s win for the Marlins also clinches the ODAC’s automatic entry to the Division III Softball Championship bracket of 64 teams. Virginia Wesleyan is one of 42 AQ’s in the field with the remaining 22 teams selected at-large via final ranking in the NCAA Power Index (NPI). The full bracket is slated to be released on Monday morning at 11:00 a.m. ET via selection show on NCAA.com.
Virginia Wesleyan (45-0) continues its historic season as the lone unbeaten program remaining in Division III. The Marlins winning again was not the only history made on Saturday. Outfielder Morgan Tucker reset her own ODAC single-season RBI record with four on Saturday. The ODAC Player of the Year entered the final series with 74 RBI, two off her record from her ODAC Rookie of the Year season in 2025. Now with 78, she has her eyes set on the Division III benchmark, which stands at 96 by Michelle Carlson from 1995 national runner-up TCNJ
Bridgewater (29-16) was first to get on the board on Saturday with McKenna Mueller doubling in Caroline Malandra in the first inning.
Virginia Wesleyan turned the tide in the bottom of the frame with three runs. Tucker and Taylor McQueen each singled with two down. Alison Pollack followed with a three run blast to left for a 3-1 Marlins lead after one.
VWU tacked on four more runs in the second, which also forced BC starter Mackenzie Cauthorn from the game. The All-ODAC Second Team righty had been stellar in the tournament, tossing every inning for the Eagles during their 3-0 run in Salem and stellar outing in a 1-0 loss on Friday in Virginia Beach.
Riley Curtice and Sarah Prosser led off the second with walks. Curtice scored on a double by Laci Campbell, while Prosser crossed the dish on a ground out to short by Samantha Deitsch. Tucker followed with a two-run homer to center for a 7-1 VWU lead after two.
Bridgewater got one back in the third inning. With two out, Aniella Baldwin singled back to the circle and Mueller walked to put two runners on. Lily Moyers followed with a single to left to drive in Baldwin. BC remained a threat with a throwing error in left putting Mueller on third and Moyers at second. But Marlins’ lefty starter Emma Adams was able to strike out Jordan Wise to end the inning.
Virginia Wesleyan tacked on two more in the bottom of the third. Curtice and Prosser each singled with one out, but Curtice was erased on a fielder’s choice by Campbell for the second out. Deitsch loaded the bases after an error at first base. Tucker singled up the middle to bring around Prosser and Campbell for her record-setting RBI.
VWU put the game out of reach in the fourth with the game’s final three runs. Pollack led off with her second homer of the game, this time to center field. Olivia Knight singled and advanced to third on a double down the left field line by Adams. Curtice and Prosser followed with singles to plate Knight and pinch runner Brianna Jones.
Adams improved to 21-0 with the win, going all five innings. She surrendered two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Cauthorn took the loss for BC, moving her record to 17-9.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
- AU: Mackenzie Newcomb
- GC: Kalissa Williams
- LYN: Georgia Thompson
- RMC: Mya Davis
- RC: Baylee Compton
- SU: Brenna Westwood
- BC: Mackenzie Cauthorn
- BC: Caroline Malandra
- BC: McKenna Mueller
- VWU: Emma Adams
- VWU: Hannah Hearl
- VWU: Taylor McQueen
- VWU: Alison Pollack
- VWU: Morgan Tucker (MOP)