Lynchburg, Va. — The University of Lynchburg softball team is headed to postseason play as the No. 4 seed for ODAC pod play in Salem, Va. this weekend. The Hornets will open their weekend slate with a matchup against No. 5 Shenandoah on Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m.

The teams met earlier this season in two tightly contested games in Winchester, where Lynchburg dropped both ends of the doubleheader, 4–3 and 2–1 (in eight innings).

Shenandoah enters the contest following a split in their regular-season doubleheader finale against Ferrum. The Hornets have lost four of their last six games. While Shenandoah was strong at home this season with a 12–6 record, they struggled on the road and at neutral sites, going 6–14.

In ODAC play, Shenandoah ranks in the middle of the pack in both team batting average and ERA. They boast the seventh-best team batting average (.384), led by freshman Cadence Rieg, who holds a top-15 ODAC average at .371. In the circle, Shenandoah has used a committee approach, with four pitchers throwing over 47 innings this year. Freshman Becca Sexton leads the staff with 73.1 innings pitched across 24 appearances and 13 starts. She carries a 4.10 ERA, allowing 63 hits and 50 walks while recording 30 strikeouts.

Lynchburg heads to Salem after notching its signature win of the season, taking down No. 18 Randolph-Macon in the first game of a doubleheader. The Hornets closed the regular season by winning six of their final nine games, with all three losses coming against top-25 opponents.

The pitching tandem of Emily Charlton and Kailey Dorcsis has been an X-factor for Lynchburg this season. Both student-athletes finished in the top six in ERA and top eight in opposing batting average. Charlton is coming off one of her best performances of the year, striking out nine against R-MC — tying the third-highest mark of her career and setting a season high.

At the plate, the explosive duo of Sarah Watts and Lexi Powell continues to spark the Lynchburg offense. Powell leads the team with a .364 batting average on 44 hits. Watts ranks in the ODAC top 10 in OPS, hitting .342 with an on-base percentage of .422 and a slugging percentage of .590.

Depending on the outcomes of games one and two (see below), Lynchburg will face either No. 8 Averett or No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan to kick off day two.

Tournament Schedule 
Saturday, May 3: 

Game 1	#8 Averett	vs.	#1 Virginia Wesleyan	5:00 p.m.
Game 2	#5 Shenandoah	vs.	#4 Lynchburg	7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 4: 

Game 3	Loser Game 1	vs.	Loser Game 2	11:00 a.m.
Game 4	Winner Game 1	vs.	Winner Game 2	2:00 p.m.
Game 5	Winner Game 3	vs.	Loser Game 4	5:00 p.m.

Monday, May 5: 

Game 6	Winner Game 4	vs.	Winner Game 5	12:00 p.m
Game 7 (if necessary)	Winner Game 6	vs.	Loser Game 6	30 mins. Post-G6

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