Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Senior first baseman Megan Light knocks a ball into play. Light had five RBIs in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader against Maryville College (Tenn.). The Eagles won the first game of the doubleheader 10-1, and lost the second 4-0. The team is now waiting to hear their postseason fate.
The softball team hit the road to face off against the Maryville College (Tenn.) Scots for their final games of the regular season. The Eagles walked away from the doubleheader with bittersweet feelings as they won the first game 10-1, but later fell 4-0 to the Scots that very same day. Emory finished the season with 36 wins and 7 losses, ranking 15th in the nation.
The Eagles started the day off strong, finishing the Scots in just six innings. During the first frame of play, senior Megan Light kickstarted offensive play after slamming the first homer of the day that produced a total of three runs for Emory. The early lead was extended when junior Moira Sullivan hit a double, allowing for junior Micah Scharff and sophomore Hannah Sendel to cross the plate.
In just the first inning of play, Emory established a hefty lead that the Scots were unable to recover from.
Again, Light proved to be an offensive leader as she knocked a home run that produced two runs. This was Light’s 16th home run of the season.
Sendel followed with a solo home run for her 12th of the season. The score now stood at a solid 8-0 Eagles lead.
During the week leading up to the doubleheader against Maryville, Light had been named the University Athletic Association’s (UAA) Softball Hitter of the Week after impressive performances against Covenant College and Piedmont College.
During the final sixth inning of play, Sendel came up big when bases were loaded.
She hit a double that allowed for senior Lauren Gorodetsky and freshman Taylor Forte to make it home for the Eagles’ final runs scored in the contest.
Highlights of the win included Sendel’s three hits in four trips to bat and three RBIs. Right behind her was Light, who finished with an impressive five RBIs, tying her own school record.
On the defensive end of things, senior pitcher Amanda Kardys contributed to the win allowing only four hits while striking out five batters. In the last seven games, over the course of 35 innings, Kardys has struck out a total of 22 batters and walked only four.
Emory did not find as much offensive success during the second game of the day against Maryville, where the Eagles fell to the Scots 4-0. The loss ended their seven-game winning streak.
The team had numerous scoring opportunities, but the Eagles were not able to convert on any. Over the course of the entire game, Emory had a total of nine hits and had runners on base in every single inning, but none of the runners made it home. This was the first time the Eagles were shut out since the final game of the 2011-2012 season.
Maryville also struggled for a majority of the game to put runs on the board. The scoreless 0-0 tie was eventually broken when Maryville exploded with three runs during the fifth inning.
Emory was unable to answer, and the game ended in a loss for the Eagles after the Scots added a final run to make the score 4-0.
Both freshman Brittany File and Kardys pitched for the Eagles; File faced a total of 18 batters, while Kardys saw 11 batters at plate.
– By Zoe Elfenbein
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