The No. 4-ranked Emory softball team clinched the program's seventh straight University Athletic Association Championship on Saturday following a win over Washington University.  The Eagles upped their overall record to 19-1, 8-0 in the league, after posting a 3-1 triumph over the No. 2-ranked Bears who slipped to 13-3 overall, 5-3 in the conference.

In what developed into a pitcher's duel between Emory's Brittany File and Wash U's Annie Pitkin, the Eagles made the most of their three hits with two of those being home runs.  Emory got on the board in the top of the first when senior catcher Melody Carter socked a two-out, two-run homer, her third of the season, that scored junior left fielder Taylor Forte who led off the game with a single and then later stole second.  After Carter's blast, Pitkin retired 18 Eagles in a row before sophomore second baseman Janelle Turnquest delivered a two-out solo homer in the top of the seventh that propelled Emory to a 3-0 advantage.

File had to work her way out of several jams en route to tossing a complete-game four hitter that saw her strikeout seven batters, as she boosted her season record to 15-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Wash U had the bases loaded with one out before File squelched that with back-to-back strikeouts.  In the seventh, after the Bears had gotten on the board with an unearned run, they had the bases loaded with two out before File got the final batter to ground out. 

Emory still has two more games to play at the Championships, starting with a 1:00 pm bout vs. New York University on Saturday and the finale tomorrow morning at 10:00 am against Brandeis.