Anna Jackson had four RBI in game one and
Hannah Gore pitched a two-hitter in game two as No. 5 Berry swept No. 10 Randolph-Macon, 5-2 and 1-0, in softball action from Ashland, Va., Wednesday afternoon.
Game One: Berry 5, Randolph-Macon 2
A three-spot in the first inning staked
Blair Hall to all the run support she would need as the Vikings took the win in the first game of the twin bill.
Katie White picked up from where she left off last weekend, turning on the fifth pitch of the game for a solo homer to left to stake the Vikings to a 1-0 lead. After a
Sydney Moroney single back up the middle, Jackson drilled a 1-1 offerning over the fence in left center to make it 3-0.
With the Vikings ahead 3-2 entering the seventh, Jackson came up with the needed insurance. With
Aleeya Thornton on third and White on second, Jackson sent an offering to the right of the diving RMC shortstop and into left, scoring both runners to make it 5-2.
Hall (6-0) would dance in and out of trouble in the circle, allowing nine hits and two runs but stranding 10 runners on base. The junior, in her second year with the Vikings, cleared 100 strikeouts for her career with six in the contest.
Game Two: Berry 1, Randolph-Macon 0
The first game would have to be considered a relaxing walk in the park compared to the tension of game two. Berry mustered just four hits, but Gore was masterful in the circle and allowed just two hits with three strikeouts.
Berry's first hit of the game would translate into its only run of the contest.
Katie White would single to lead off the fourth inning, then the sophomore would slide in safely on a 3-0 pitch to Jackson for her 13th stolen base of the season. The next pitch to Jackson bounced away from the plate, and the Vikings would have runners on the corners thanks to the wild pitch and the walk.
Morgan Frye would then hit a deep fly ball to right that would be caught on the warning track, but would be plenty deep enough to score White. The sacrifice fly gave Berry the 1-0 advantage.
That would be all the support Gore (4-0) would need. The sophomore retired the final 15 batters she faced. The Yellowjackets would get a single and a stolen base in both the first and third innings, but both times, the runner would be left stranded at second.
The sweep moves Berry to 3-1 against ranked opponents so far this season following a doubleheader split at No. 6 Belhaven in February. Berry's next three games will be against ranked opponents, as the Vikings take part in the first weekend of the Cross Bay Bash. BC will play its games in Newport News, Va., at Christopher Newport this Friday and Saturday, with Friday's first contest coming against No. 2 Trine at 10:30 a.m. Berry then faces No. 8 Millikin at 1 p.m. Friday. Saturday, the Vikings take on No. 1 and host CNU at 3 p.m. before closing the weekend with Transylvania at 5:30 p.m.
