(ASHLAND, Va.) – No. 6 Randolph-Macon and Lynchburg entered the day tied at the top of the ODAC softball standings. At the end of the day, they are still tied after the Yellow Jackets took a thriller in the opener before falling in the nightcap.

The Basics

Scores: No. 6 Randolph-Macon 2, Lynchburg 1 (8 inn.) (Game 1)
No. 6 Randolph-Macon 8 , Lynchburg 10

Venue: R-MC Softball Field

Records: No. 16 Randolph-Macon 21-4, 6-2 ODAC; Lynchburg 16-14, 6-2 ODAC

How It Happened (Game 1)

• A pitchers' duel broke out in the opener with Gracie Ellis (Fr., New Kent, Va. / New KEnt) going up against Kailey Dorcsis. However both pitchers got tagged early in the game with each team scoring in the first. The Hornets struck first as Anna Grace Terrell singled in Carly Hudnall. Hudnall appeared to be out on an excellent laser-point throw from Olivia Owens (So., Salisbury, Md. / James M. Bennett), but obstruction was called an allowed the run to score.
• The Lemon and Black got the run back in the bottom of the frame as Natalie Robinson (Jr., Woodbridge, Va. / Woodbridge) singled in Amanda Lanyon (Fr., Midlothian, Va. / Midlothian). Lanyon led off the inning with an infield single and stole second to place her in scoring position.
• From there the game remained scoreless until the eighth inning heroics by the Lemon and Black. With the international tiebreaker in place, Naomi Sadler (Fr., Emporia, Va. / Brunswick) was placed on second. She reached third after a bunt single by Sami Davidson (Sr., Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point) and scored on Kayla Horesky's (Jr., Woodbridge, Va. / Colgan) single to right for the walk-off win.

Inside The Numbers (Game 1)

• Ellis improved to 12-2 on the season and allowed one unearned run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in eight innings of work. She has now fanned 128 batters on the year.
• Kailey Dorcsis was docked with the loss and fell to 4-5 on the season.

How It Happened (Game 2)

• The runs came in bunches in the second game. After both teams scored a pair in the opening inning, Lynchburg scored one in the third. The Jackets were able to get even and go ahead on back-to-back jacks as Rilee Baughan (Jr., Warsaw, Va. / Rappahannock) and Kayla Davis (Fr., Powhatan, Va. / Powhatan) both went yard to almost the exact same spot in left field to make the score 4-3. Olivia Owens (So., Salisbury, Md. / James M. Bennett) scored Chloe Rose (Fr., Midlothian, Va. / James River) on a sac fly later in the frame.
• A three-run home run in the sixth quickly turned the momentum tide in favor of the Hornets as they regained the lead at 6-5. They went on to add seven runs total in the inning.
• They proved pivotal as the Jackets rallied for a comeback attempts. Davis doubled down the line to score Baughan and Lanyon to put the score at 10-7. Robinson later scored Arianna Prymak (Fr., Woodbridge, Va. / Woodbridge)) on a singled down the left field line, but it as close as R-MC could get.

Inside The Numbers (Game 2)

• Baughan took the loss and fell to 8-2 on the season. Lynchburg's Bre Carter picked up the win in relief while Dorcsis earned her second save of the season.
• Davis finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
• Baughan was effective on the base paths and the plate where she was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Up Next

Another big foe awaits as Bridgewater visits the Center of the Universe on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.