Apex, N.C. -- University of Lynchburg's softball team collected a pair of wins Saturday at the Grand Slam Triangle Classic, besting No. 6-ranked Emory University, 8-4, in the opener before thrashing North Carolina Wesleyan, 11-3 in six innings, in the nightcap at the Middle Creek Softball Fields.

Jordyne Vance went a perfect 7-for-7 with seven singles at the plate on the day. The Hornet third baseman drove in four runs and scored four more. Sophie Tully collected four hits and four RBI, and Sarah Commons tallied four hits and four runs scored.

The Hornet offense came alive early and often, starting with a two-run first inning against Emory U., a rematch of the 2019 NCAA Lynchburg Super Regional.

Commons began the rally with a one-out single and later scored on Tully's RBI fielder's choice, and Lynchburg (5-3) made it a 2-0 lead when Cortney Rawes came home on a passed ball.

The Hornets doubled their advantage in the second when Vance singled home Kayla Hugate and, shortly after, Commons rushed home on a wild pitch. Kortney Leazer then led off the third with a solo home run to make it 5-0 in Lynchburg's favor.

The Eagles (1-3) cut the lead to 5-1 in the fourth, but Lynchburg responded with single runs in the fourth and fifth on RBI knocks by Leazer and Vance, respectively.

Emory U. made things interesting in the seventh, plating three runs on five hits, but Kayley Cox came in to shut the door for the Hornets.

In the nightcap, Lynchburg got up early again when Tully slugged a two-out, two-run double.

The Battlin' Bishops (4-2) pushed a run across in the bottom of the second, but Lynchburg got it back in the third and then broke the game open with a five-run fourth, the big blow coming on Vance's two-run single.

The Hornets will wrap up the Grand Slam Triangle Classic Sunday with games against a pair of fellow NCAA tournament qualifiers from a year ago, Kean and Piedmont.

--LYN--