LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Shenandoah University softball team saw its 2023 season come to an end Saturday afternoon with a 5-4 loss to Guilford in an ODAC Tournament elimination game.
Guilford (22-18) rallied for four runs in the fifth inning to rally past Shenandoah (15-25) and eliminate the Hornets from tournament play.
IN BRIEF
The Quakers advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. elimination game versus the loser of the top-seeded Roanoke versus fifth-seeded Lynchburg. The winner of the 7 p.m. game then must beat the winner of the Roanoke/Lynchburg game twice to win the Roanoke pod of the ODAC Tournament.
GC scored its four runs in the fifth on four hits, a walk, and one SU error.
Trailing 5-3 heading into its penultimate at-bat, Shenandoah cut its deficit in half with a run on two hits. Pinch hitter
Hannah Evans drove in Rachael Blumenshine with a single to right after Blumenshine reached on a one out single to left.
The Hornets had opened up a 3-1 lead with single runs in the second, third, and fifth.
Tiffany Bower had an RBI double in the second,
Savannah Thorne drove in a run with a single in the third, and Brenna Synder did the same in the fifth.
The two teams split 18 hits with Thorne getting two of Shenandoah's nine on the day.
Kayla Stephenson (8-15) took the loss after giving up four runs on six hits and two walks in 4.0 innings.
Taylor Smith and Thorne pitched one inning each.
UP NEXT
This completes the Hornets season. The 2024 schedule will be announced this summer.
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