From Emory University Athletics
The No. 4-ranked Emory softball team opened defense of its University Athletic Association title on Tuesday, coming away with a pair of wins on the first day of action at the conference championships. Emory started with a five-inning 11-3 win over Rochester before coming away with a dramatic come-from-behind 7-5 triumph in 10 innings over Case Western Reserve.
The Eagles have won four straight and now stand 13-1 on the year. The UAA Championships are being held in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
Sophomore second baseman Janelle Turnquest went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs in the Case Western clash while senior catcher Melody Carter and sophomore Ashley Powers each collected a pair of hits and one RBI. With the tie-breaking format implemented, freshman Sam Vincent started the 10th inning and then scored when freshman Cassie Baca reached base following a Spartan error and then moved to second base. Carter then singled Baca home with her 20th RBI of the campaign.
CWRU jumped out the gate quickly, pushing across four runs in the bottom of the first. Emory got on the board with a three-run fourth frame, keyed by a two-run single by Turnquest and a RBI double by Powers. After the Spartans tacked up one in their half of the inning, Emory knotted the score in the sixth when Turnquest socked a one-out solo home run, her third of the season, and senior center fielder Alyssa Pollard stroked a two-out single that allowed freshman Jenna Wilson to cross the plate. Junior Brittany File, the third of three Emory hurlers, earned the win in relief, tossing seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 11. The win boosted File's record to 11-1.
After seeing Rochester score once in the bottom of the first, Emory countered with three runs in the third and four in both the fourth and fifth innings. Turnquest, Powers and Baca each picked up a pair of safeties as part of the Eagles' nine-hit attack. Carter delivered a two-run single to highlight the third inning's uprising while a solo homer by Powers in the fourth, followed later in the inning by a two-run blast by Turnquest were the big blows in that rally. In the fifth, a two-out, two-run homer by junior Taylor Forte, her first round tripper of the year, and a Baca RBI single were the key hits for Emory. File drew the start in the circle and notched the win, going three innings and fanning seven. Sophomore Audrey Weller tossed the last two innings.