LYNCHBURG, VA – Junior Brittany Willingham (Glen Burnie, MD/Glen Burnie) had a base hit in each game Thursday to tie the school record for consecutive games with a hit, but Randolph College couldn’t score in dropping both ends of an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) doubleheader. The scores were 4-0 in the first game and 1-0 in game two.
Willingham has hit in 21 straight games, which ties the record of 21 set last year by teammate Lauren Stevenson (Virginia Beach, VA/Tallwood). The ODAC record is 22 games, which Willingham will go for Saturday afternoon against Virginia Wesleyan College in Virginia Beach, VA at 1 p.m.
In game one, the WildCats (17-13/6-6 ODAC) could not get anything going off of Randolph-Macon starter Heather Lewis, who went the distance allowing no runs and five hits. The offense for Randolph-Macon scored single runs in the third and seventh innings, and posted two in the fifth. It was plenty for Lewis, who allowed no runners past second base.
Stevenson was two-for-three on the day, while first-year Chassity Ferry (Melfa, VA/Nandua) and junior Samantha Thacker (Madison Heights, VA/Holy Cross) each had a base hit. Jessica Sanabria (Burgaw, NC/Pender) went the first five innings for Randolph, allowing one earned run on five hits.
The second game saw much of the same, though Randolph had a chance to score in the fourth inning. Junior Ashley Gardner (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge) singled, and advanced to second on a ground out. After a throwing error to first on the next play, Gardner hustled around trying to score but while the catcher missed the initial tag. Unfortunately, Gardner’s missed the plate on her slide and a second effort by R-MC catcher Laura Bauer at the tag was successful.
Randolph-Macon (22-8/8-2 ODAC) got an RBI ground out in the seventh, and Kelly Beard completed the shutout in the bottom half to lift the Yellow Jackets to the sweep. Randolph has now failed to score a run in 24 straight innings, being shut out the last three games.
Gardner finished with two hits in game two, while Alexis Arnett (Virginia Beach, VA/First Colonial) had a hit in her only at-bat. Logan Carter (Richmond, VA/Midlothian) was outstanding in game two, going five innings while allowing four hits and no runs. Sophomore Kristen Hutchinson (Rockville, MD/Richard Montgomery) went two innings, allowing no earned runs on one hit.