Buena Vista, Va. — The Southern Virginia University softball team powered its way to a dominant doubleheader sweep of Eastern Mennonite University on Wednesday afternoon, scoring 20 total runs across the two games.
Game One – Southern Virginia 8, Eastern Mennonite 0
The Knights struck first in the third inning when Kyleigh Staton launched a solo home run to deep left field to make it 1–0.
Emmaline DeGroot entered in the fourth and delivered a quick 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts, setting the tone in the circle. Southern Virginia added insurance in the bottom half of the inning as Berkeley Whitten walked and Taelor Ware singled to center. DeGroot helped her own cause with a double to left to drive in a run, and Morgan Rich followed with a shot over the first baseman to extend the lead to 3–0.
The Knights sealed the win in the sixth inning. Rich doubled into the gap, and Mattison Christensen followed with a single. Staton added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4–0. Nevaeh Woodhouse kept the rally going with a single and stolen base, and Abby Southern drove in another run with a base hit to left. Whitten capped the performance with a walk-off home run to right-center, securing the 8–0 victory.
Annabell Cossa, DeGroot, and Marni Bianchi combined to allow just three hits in the shutout. DeGroot earned the win, while Bianchi recorded the save. Offensively, Southern Virginia tallied 13 hits, with Southern, Eliza Patterson, Whitten, and Rich each recording multiple hits.
Game Two – Southern Virginia 12, Eastern Mennonite 3
The Knights wasted no time in game two, scoring three runs in the first inning. Rich and Patterson opened with singles before Sophia Badell blasted a three-run home run to deep center to put Southern Virginia ahead early.
The offense continued in the third inning. Southern reached third on a fielding error and scored on an RBI from Rich. After singles from Badell and Grose and a walk to Ware loaded the bases, Malia Stauffer delivered a clutch single down the left-field line to clear the bases and extend the lead to 7–0. Stauffer later scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning.
Eastern Mennonite pushed across a pair of runs, but the Knights responded with four more in the fourth inning. Singles from Rich, Grose, Christensen, and Staton fueled the surge as Southern Virginia built a commanding 12–3 advantage.
Stauffer was strong in the circle, tossing 4.2 innings while allowing just one run. Kayla Littleford led the defensive effort with four putouts.
Rich, Badell, and Grose each recorded multiple hits in game two, while Badell's three-run homer highlighted the offensive outburst. Stauffer and Christensen each added a pair of RBIs.
The Knights will return to action Friday at 2:00 p.m. when they host York College of Pennsylvania. Southern Virginia last faced the Spartans in 2019 when both programs were members of the former Capital Athletic Conference, splitting the season series.
For the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University softball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_softball on Instagram.
