The No. 2-ranked Emory softball team closed out its participation at the Salute To The Troops Tournament on Sunday.   After claiming an 8-7 decision over host Rhodes College in a resumption of Saturday's contest, the Eagles topped Fontbonne University, 11-2, in five innings before wrapping the weekend up with a 7-4 decision vs. Rhodes.  Emory now stands 37-1 on the year.

Against Fontbonne, the Eagles pounded out three homers as part of its nine-hit attack while junior pitcher Amanda Kardys was solid in notching the win.  The Eagles exploded for five runs in the top of the first with the big blow a three-run homer by freshman Hannah Sendel.  After the Griffins tallied a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, a solo homer by sophomore Micah Scharff in the top of the second upped Emory's lead to 6-2.  The score remained that way until the top of the fifth when Emory tacked up five more runs on the board, the first coming on a groundout RBI by junior Ally Kersthold, followed by a grand slam by junior Megan Light.  Junior Lauren Gorodetsky ended the contest by going 3-for-4 at the plate and scoring twice.  Kardys shut Fontbonne down in its half of the fifth and saw her record move to 20-1 on the year after allowing four hits and fanning three. 

In the finale, Emory saw the Lynx cross the plate twice in the bottom of the second before cutting the lead in half in the top of the third when a throwing error allowed freshman Alyssa Pollard to score. Pollard opened the inning with a single before moving to second on a ground out.  Emory surged to the lead in the top of the fifth with Gorodetsky leading off the frame with a single and then moving to second after a ground out.  After an Emory fly out, an infield error by the Lynx allowed Gordodestky to cross the plate.  The Eagles snapped the tie when Sendel socked a two-run homer.  Emory added to its lead in the top of the sixth when Kersthold hit a solo home run with two out.   After a Rhodes error allowed Scharff to get on base, Light made the Lynx pay for that miscue with a two-run blast that closed out the team's scoring.  Rhodes mounted a comeback bid in the seventh when it scored a pair of runs while managing to get the tying run to the plate before the Eagles finished off the game.   Kardys got the win in relief, hurling 2 1/3 innings of hitless ball.

Emory, winners of its last 18 games, returns to action on Tuesday, April 9, when it plays a doubleheader at No. 11 Piedmont College.