Virginia Beach, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg softball team split a double-header with Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday for the second year in a row.
The Hornets dropped the first game 3-2 and won in extras 9-4 in Game 2 against the 12-ranked Marlins.
Kailey Dorcsis entered the day having pitched six consecutive complete games but made her earliest exit of the season in the third inning after three runs. Emily Charlton entered with one out in the inning and got the final two outs to retire the side. She pitched 1.2 scoreless frames followed up by two more shutout innings from Amala Clawson, but the damage had already been done. Lynchburg made a late push at a comeback scoring two in the seventh on back-to-back RBI infield singles from Lexi Powell and Carly Hudnall. Virginia Wesleyan quelled the rally by nabbing Hudnall as she tried to swipe second. Powell's RBI knock in the seventh was her second hit of the game, and Madison Barnes also notched a multihit game in the loss.
The two teams combined for their most runs in a matchup since 2021 when Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan duked it out with a combined 16 runs in a Marlins victory. This time, it was Lynchburg persevering in the high-scoring affair.
The squads traded blows in each half of the second and third innings. Kaleigh Hackett struck first with an RBI single in the second, and Barnes retied the game 2-2 in the next inning on a sacrifice fly.
The Hornets doubled their lead as they scored for a third straight inning. Once again, it was Powell driving in a run followed by Alex DiNardo.
Logan Curtis exited the game with the lead in the fourth, but her lead didn't hold as Clawson was lifted for Charlton after the Marlins tied the game in the fifth. Charlton served up a dominant relief appearance only allowing one hit in 3.2 innings of work.
The Hornets blew the game open in the top of the eighth. Jessica Strickland pinch ran as the extra runner on second to begin extras and scored on a throwing error after previously getting to third on a wild pitch. Lynchburg scored five in the inning on two hits, and Sarah Watts delivered the biggest blow with a two-RBI single.
Charlton stranded the extra runner on second and retired the side in order during the bottom of the eighth to secure the upset and her seventh win of the season.
Lynchburg (23-9, 11-5 ODAC) is one win away from matching its total from 2023 and hosts Roanoke on Tuesday, April 16.
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