VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (Courtesy of Virginia Wesleyan Athletics) — The Virginia Wesleyan University softball team (49-4-1, 21-1 ODAC) defeated Randolph-Macon 3-1 in the semifinals of the NCAA DIII Softball Championship Tournament and punched their ticket to the best-of-three championship series.
Sarah Prosser led the Marlins offense as she was 1-for-4 with a double, and had two RBI, Joslyn Woodard was 2-for-3, scored a run, and recorded one RBI, and Laci Campbell was 2-for-4 with a double.
Hannah Hearl pitched a gem, pitching 7.0 innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, and had one strikeout.
The Virginia Wesleyan Marlins broke through in the top of the fourth inning with clutch hitting and aggressive baserunning. The offense quickly came alive when Samantha Deitsch laced a single up the middle. Deitsch wasted no time, stealing second to put herself in scoring position. Olivia Knight followed with a disciplined at-bat, drawing a walk to put two on with one out. Then, Joslyn Woodard came up big, delivering an RBI single to left field that plated Deitsch and moved Knight to second. With momentum building, Alexis Hudgens laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing both runners. Sarah Prosser then delivered the highlight of the inning with a two-run double to the gap in left center, scoring both Knight and Woodard. The Marlins ended the inning with a commanding 3-0 lead.
Randolph-Macon attempted to mount a comeback in the bottom of the sixth. Lanyon gave the Yellow Jackets a spark with a solo home run to left center, cutting into the Marlins’ lead. That would be the only damage in the inning, as Virginia Wesleyan held firm defensively to preserve their 3-1 advantage heading into the final stretch.
Excellent defense from Laci Campbell and Sarah Prosser sealed the win for the Marlins as they will battle Trine in the National Championship best-of-three series.