ASHLAND, Va. – The 12^th – ranked Randolph-Macon softball team battled 13^th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan in a double-elimination scenario for the Yellow Jackets on Sunday in Ashland. RMC fell in game one but rallied behind a shutout in game two to advance to the ODAC championship series.

The Basics:

Scores: Virginia Wesleyan 2, Randolph-Macon 1          Randolph-Macon 2, Virginia Wesleyan 0

Location: Ashland, Va./Randolph-Macon College/RMC Softball Field

Records: Randolph-Macon (36-8, 17-3 ODAC), Virginia Wesleyan (35-10, 16-4 ODAC)

How it Happened (Game 1):

• Both teams only had one baserunner each through three innings of play, as both pitchers rolled through the lineup the first time through.
• In the bottom of the fourth inning, RMC got back-to-back two-out singles by Kayla Davis (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) and Olivia Owens (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) but were stranded on base, keeping the game scoreless.
• Virginia Wesleyan got a one-out single in the top of the fifth, and was immediately followed by a double to score the runner, taking a 1-0 lead. For the second straight inning, the Yellow Jackets left two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, still trailing 1-0.
• Rilee Baughan (Warsaw, Va./Rappahannock) stranded two Marlins runners in the top of the sixth and Jessica Pittman (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) knocked in Olivia Owens with a single in the bottom of the inning to tie it 1-1.
• VWU got the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and got a big two-out RBI single that lifted them to a 2-1 win, forcing the winner-take-all game two.

By the Numbers (Game 1):

• Jessica Pittman had the lone RBI for the Yellow Jackets, going 1-3 at the plate, with the lone hit being the game-tying single in the sixth.
• Rilee Baughan was great in the circle, throwing a complete game, striking out six and keeping the Yellow Jackets in the game.
• Olivia Owens scored the run for RMC, reaching base twice, once on a single and another on a fielder's choice.

How it Happened (Game 2):

• Gracie Ellis (New Kent, Va./New Kent) allowed just two hits through the first three innings, keeping traffic off the bases. RMC got a two-out single by Cameron Hildebrand (Fincastle, Va./James River) followed by an RBI double by Amanda Lanyon (Midlothian, Va./Midlothian) to give the Lemon and Black a 1-0 lead after three.
• The Yellow Jackets struck again in the bottom of the sixth, adding a much-needed insurance run off an RBI single by Kayla Davis after a Naomi Sadler (Emporia, Va./Brunswick) double.
• Ellis shut down the Marlins in order in the final two innings as RMC finished a 2-0 win, advancing to the ODAC championship series.

By the Numbers (Game 2):

• Gracie Ellis scattered just three Marlins hits across seven innings. She struck out seven batters and walked none. The win is Ellis' 19^th of the year and the shutout drops her league-leading ERA down to 1.11 on the season.
• RMC needed just four hits to get the job done, one coming from Amanda Lanyon's RBI double in the third inning to begin the scoring.
• Kayla Davis had the big hit in the sixth inning, driving in the insurance run with a single to make it 2-0. She had two hits on the day between the two games.
• Cam Hildebrand and Naomi Sadler scored the two runs for the Yellow Jackets, both after hits of their own.

Up Next:

Randolph-Macon will travel to Roanoke for a battle of the top seeds in the ODAC championship series beginning Thursday. Stay tuned to RMCAthletics.com for times and ticket updates.