The No. 18 ranked Emory softball team started off the 2016 season with two decisive victories on Saturday, Feb. 20, beating No. 3 ranked DePauw University (Ind.) 6-1 and Averett University (Va.) 11-3.
The Eagles used small ball to their advantage in toppling DePauw on Saturday morning. To start off the third inning, senior second baseman Hannah Sendel reached base with a walk. Junior outfielder Amy Wray proceeded to sacrifice bunt Sendel over to second, allowing the Eagles to pinch run for Sendel with sophomore pitcher Raygan Greer in a run-scoring opportunity. With one out and Greer on second, senior catcher/third baseman Melody Carter belted a drive to deep center field for a triple. Carter’s three-bagger gave Emory their first run of the morning.
With Carter on third and one out, senior outfielder Alyssa Pollard did what the team needed from her: a fly out to center that brought in Carter, making it 2-0, Eagles. With four successive batters, the Eagles posted two runs, utilizing a mixture of power and sacrifices to manufacture the morning’s winning runs.
Emory would continue to employ the small ball strategy in the fourth inning. Like the beginning of the third inning, the Eagles led the inning off with a walk, this time from freshman shortstop Cassie Baca. Baca was bunted over by Wilson, then promptly pinch ran for by freshman outfielder Sam Vincent. Junior first baseman Taylor Forte then launched a double to left field, scoring Vincent from second base and making the score 3-0, Emory.
In the sixth inning, Sendel extended Emory’s lead to 6-0 by crushing a three-run homer with Baca and Forte on base.
Junior pitcher Brittany File earned the win, throwing for 5 2/3 innings, giving up zero runs and five hits while striking out five batters.
Against Averett, Emory’s bats shined, as they put the Cougars away in six innings. Senior outfielder Alyssa Pollard singled up the middle to plate two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
The next inning, freshman catcher Lana Herrmann’s three-run home run made the Emory lead 5-0. The Cougars responded to pull within a 5-3 margin in the top of the sixth inning, but the Eagles countered with six runs in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
In the bottom frame, sophomore Janelle Turnquest hit a two-run homer, Carter hit an RBI single and Bacca hit a double to score two runs, extending the lead to 10-3 and leaving the Eagles in need of one run to end the game on mercy rule. With the bases loaded and Turnquest up to bat for the second time in the inning, she walked to drive in the walk-off run that sent the crowd of 50 home.
Unfortunately, the weekend’s games would not be played in their entirety. The Eagles were originally slated to host double-headers on both Saturday and Sunday.
In the third inning of the Eagles’ Sunday morning game against DePauw, Sendel suffered a devastating injury to her ankle during a play in the field.
Because of the shock and devastation of the situation, Emory’s coaching staff felt the most appropriate course of action would be to stop the game and suspend the afternoon’s game as well.
Emory will play next on Feb. 27 when they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete in the Grand Slam Triangle Classic.
Avery Yang is a College sophomore from Los Angeles, California, by way of New York City.
