After an incredible season, the Emory University softball team fell to Belhaven in the regional championship, splitting the day as the Eagles took game one 15-7 and the Blazers took game two 4-0. Emory's 15-7 regional final win also marks the most runs scored in program history during an NCAA tournament game.
Following the conclusion of game two, seniors
Ashley Chu,
Ella Hoyle and freshman
Sydney Thune were named to the Jackson, MS Regional All-Tournament team.
Game 1: Emory 15, Belhaven 7
After a scoreless first inning on both sides, Chu got the party started with an inside-the-park home run to score
Allie Stevenson and
Radha Samuel, giving the Eagles the early 3-0 lead.
Emory tacked another run onto that lead in their half of the third when Hoyle singled through the left side to score freshman
Alejandra Wittman.
The bottom of the third saw the Blazers get on the board with a fielder's choice, but the Eagles responded with a four-run frame. The scoring began with a three-run double from
Ellie Zerr to make it 7-1 before Zerr ran in on Wittman's RBI single to bring the score to 8-1 going into the bottom of the fourth.
Belhaven began chipping away in their half of the fourth, plating three runs of their own to cut Emory's lead in half before two scoreless innings from both sides.
The Eagles blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh, delivering a seven-run frame to extend their lead. The inning began with a bases-loaded hit by pitch from
Zoe Horning before a Zerr sac fly scored
Allie Stevenson. Wittman and
Megan Sutton then each plated an RBI single to make it 12-4 before Hoyle smoked her second home run of the weekend, plating three RBI to give the Eagles the 15-4 lead going into the final frame.
Despite a three-run effort from the Blazers in the final frame, the Eagles came out on top to force a winner-take-all game seven.
Thune delivered another great performance in the circle to earn her 11
th win of the season, allowing four runs on eight hits and dishing out five strikeouts to hold off the Blazers.
Game 2: Belhaven 4, Emory 0
The beginning of game two saw tough defensive performances from both teams, resulting in two scoreless innings before a two-run showing from the Blazers to give them the lead in the third.
Senior pitcher
Mackenzie Duford and the Emory defense kept the Blazers away from the plate until the final inning as Belhaven delivered two more runs to secure the 4-0 win as Emory couldn't bounce back from the deficit in their half of the seventh.
