Bridgewater past Guilford 7-6 in ODAC softball tournament

SALEM, Va. – Emily Morris and Leigh Lam homered in the third inning to lead fifth-seeded Bridgewater College past top-seeded Guilford College, 7-6, in an elimination game at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Softball Tournament Friday night.

The Eagles (32-9) advance to play the loser of Friday night’s winners’ bracket game between Randolph College and Randolph-Macon College Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. Guilford (28-13-1), ranked eighth in this week’s NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Poll, ends its season with a school-record 28 wins.

Morris’s two-run homer in the third inning, her team-leading eighth of the year, erased a 2-1 deficit and triggered a six-run outburst. Bridgewater took advantage of two Guilford errors in the frame and opened a 7-2 edge on Lam’s three-run homer off of Guilford starter Shelby Bowser (10-3).

Jessica Burcham replaced Bowser and held the Eagles scoreless for the rest of the game, which gave Guilford’s offense a chance to rally.

Autumn Yoder’s two-run single in the sixth inning made it a 7-4 contest and chased Bridgewater starter Heather Jenkins (7-2). Sarah Cutright’s RBI double off of Lindsey Lam made it 7-5 with two outs in the inning. Ashley Gillis entered the circle for Bridgewater and allowed an RBI single to Ami Hutcherson before fanning Courtney Kozar with runners on second and third to end the inning with a 7-6 Eagles’ lead.

Gillis yielded a one-out hit to Kimberly Keys in the top of the seventh before retiring the side for her second save of the season.

Morris, Aven Thomas and Hillary Rees all had two hits for the Eagles. Leigh Lam finished 1-2 with three RBI.

Yoder went 2-4 with three RBI for the Quakers. Keys and Hutcherson also had two hits. Keys ended the year with a school-record .463 batting average.

Guilford fell to eighth-seeded Eastern Mennonite University, 6-2, in its ODAC Tournament opener earlier in the day.

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Bridgewater 7, Guilford 6 (Apr 23, 2010 at Salem, VA)

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Guilford………… 011 004 0 – 6 10 4 (28-13-1)

Bridgewater……… 016 000 X – 7 12 0 (32-9)

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Pitchers: Guilford – Shelby Bowser; Jessica Burcham(3) and Morgan Andrews.
Bridgewater –

Heather Jenkins; Li. Lam(6); Ashley Gills(6) and Le. Lam.

Win-Heather Jenkins(7-2) Save-Ashley Gills(2) Loss-Shelby Bowser(10-3)
T-2:00 A-105

HR BC – Emily Morris (8); Le. Lam (1).

Weather: Overcast, drizzle

Bowser faced 6 batters in the 3rd.

Game: GCS-42

Dave Walters
Guilford College Athletics