Lynchburg, Va. -- University of Lynchburg's softball team made use of timely hitting Friday afternoon en route to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Eastern Mennonite by 7-2 and 5-4 scores.

Lynchburg jumped out to an early lead in the opener with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, one on Bri Hodges' RBI single and the other when Hodges came home on a Royals error. EMU came back to tie the ballgame with single runs in the third and fourth innings, but the score didn't stay knotted long.

The Hornets responded with a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth, all coming with two out. Olivia Herman started the threat with a one-out double, which Kaleigh Hackett followed with an infield single. After an out, Gracie Dooley clubbed a two-run double to left field to put Lynchburg back in front. The home team added two more runs in the frame thanks to RBI knocks by Ashley Hailey and Caroline Joy.

Lynchburg added another insurance run in the seventh after an EMU error.

Kayley Cox was fantastic for Lynchburg in relief, hurling 2 ⅔ shutout innings out of the pen to earn her eighth win of the season.

The Hornets (21-11, 11-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference) got ahead early again in the nightcap, when Joy smacked her first-career home run, a solo shot to left, in the bottom of the second. Lynchburg added another run in the inning as Hailey singled, stole second, and came around on an EMU error.

The Hornets maintained the lead, but a pair of Royals home runs cut the Lynchburg lead to 4-3 headed into the bottom of the sixth inning. Lynchburg tacked on insurance with Addison Walter's second RBI single of the ballgame.

The Royals threatened in the seventh, scoring a run and putting the tying run on second base, but Cox came in to induce the game-ending groundout for her second save of the season. Michelle Lehan earned the win with five-plus innings of three-run ball. The senior struck out five.

Lynchburg will continue its weekend homestand Sunday by celebrating Senior Day with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader against No. 1-ranked Virginia Wesleyan. The rivals have not met since Lynchburg knocked off the Marlins for the 2019 NCAA Virginia Beach Regional championship.

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--LYN--