ETTRICK, Va.-Ten Lady Bulldogs belted hits as the Barton College softball team held off host Virginia State University for an 8-7 win Thursday.
The second game of the regularly scheduled doubleheader was cancelled due to wet field conditions from inclement weather that started mid-afternoon.
The Lady Bulldogs ripped a season-high 15 hits to improve to 4-9 on the season. The Trojans pulled to within one with a trio runs in the seventh and looked to tie the score on a sacrifice fly but the game-tying runner on third base was called out to end the game for leaving early and not tagging up on the catch. VSU suffered its first loss of the season, dipping to 2-1 overall.
Junior starting pitcher Emily Jordan (Goldsboro, N.C.) provided the Royal Blue and White with her second win of the season and a three-run, bases-loaded double in the fifth. Jordan (2-4) tossed the first four-plus innings and sophomore Elizabeth Webb (Wilson, N.C.) recorded the final nine outs. Jordan and Webb both fanned four Trojans.
A quintet of Bulldogs all had two hits including Webb, senior Jessica McFadden (Wilmington, N.C.), junior Stacy Wade (Snow Hill, N.C.), sophomore Rebecka Morgan (Huntingtown, Md.), and freshman Alex Baylis (Arnprior, Canada).
Barton started the contest with four consecutive hits to jump out to a 3-0 advantage. McFadden, Wade, and Webb all singled and stole second. Webb's base hit drove in McFadden and a double by Morgan sent Wade and Webb home.
Virginia State deadlocked the score with one run in the second and two more in the fourth before Barton exploded for its final five runs in the top of the fifth. Jordan highlighted the outburst with her bases-clearing double to centerfield. Senior Cassie Blackmon (Henderson, N.C.) added an RBI-double and Wade had a run-producing single in the frame.
The hosts added one run in the home half of the fifth before closing the deficit to one with three runs in the seventh that featured four singles and two walks.
Barton will next visit Fayetteville State University for a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday at Noon (please note the date change from Saturday to Sunday).
