Eastern Mennonite returns both of their All-ODAC performers, led by First Teamer (Grottoes, Va./Fort Defiance).  Lucas, a senior outfielder, has back-to-back awards as an All-ODAC First Team honoree, as well as two straight years as an All-Region and All-State performer.  She batted .452 in 2015 (third in the ODAC) with 22 runs and 21 RBIs.

(Madison, Va./Madison County) earned the designated player spot on the All-ODAC Second Team as a freshman, batting .346.  She turned into the top pitcher for EMU, going 5-5 with two saves and a 3.06 ERA.

Also back are senior first baseman (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby), with her .411 batting average (5th – ODAC), six homeruns (5th) and 38 RBIs (3rd).  Juniors (Broadway, Va./Broadway) and (Broadway, Va./Broadway), who each had five homeruns and 31 runs, add teeth to the lineup.

The Royals open the new season at powerful Christopher Newport on March 4.  They play at Greensboro the following day before heading to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for eight games at the Fastpitch Dreams bash over Spring Break.  The home opener is March 16 against Southern Virginia with the ODAC season starting one week later at Virginia Wesleyan.

Lucas was named to the All-Region Second Team last year and also has back-to-back All-ODAC First Team nods.

She batted a career high .452 this spring, a jump of 45 points from last year.  Lucas also notched career numbers with 42 hits, 22 runs, 21 RBIs and eight doubles despite playing in seven fewer games than either of her previous seasons.  The Royals had 10 games washed off the schedule due to inclement weather.

Lucas finished third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with her batting clip, fourth with a .495 on-base percentage, and tenth with a .634 slugging percentage.  She also had a perfect fielding percentage from her position in right field, not making an error in 27 chances.  She was one of just five women in the ODAC to play only in the field and not commit an error.

Of the 45 all-region honorees in the Atlantic Region, which stretches from southern Pennsylvania to Alabama, only nine players from the ODAC were selected.  Lucas was one of two ODAC women named all-region who did not play in the NCAA Tournament, as seven of the nine played for national participants Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon.

Eastern Mennonite finished the 2015 season with a record of 16-14, charting the 11th consecutive campaign with a .500 or better record.

Lucas was red-hot for the Royals during April, when all but four of their conference games were played. She batted .490 with 10 walks in ODAC play, earning a .576 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage. She was top five in the ODAC in all four categories.

For the season, Lucas finished with a .407 batting average, which was second on the team and seventh on the conference. She showed an incredible eye at the plate, earning 18 walks against just eight strikeouts. She hit three homeruns this spring with 15 RBIs and 17 runs.

In Eastern Mennonite’s five-game winning streak to end the season, which helped them secure the No. 5 seed in the ODAC Tournament, Lucas hit .688.  Included in that stretch was the only four-hit game of her career, when she batted 4-4 with three runs and two RBIs in a win at Sweet Briar.

The Royals closed the 2014 season at 18-18-1, their 10th straight season with a record of .500 or better.

EMU 9, Randolph 6
The women gave up a big lead in the first game, before coming back for the victory. They combined four hits in the top of the first to jump ahead 3-0.  EMU scored two more in the third, both with two outs, to build the edge to 5-0.

Randolph scored twice in the bottom of the third, and then took a 6-5 lead with four more in the fourth.

The Royals came back in the sixth. The WildCats opened the door with back-to-back errors.  (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) singled to tie the game, and  (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) added a single to put EMU ahead 7-6.  (Broadway, Va./Broadway) added a two-run single to build the final cushion.

Foltz was in the circle for the end of the game, and only allowed a single base runner over the final two innings to lock up the win.

The women had 14 hits and took advantage of five Randolph errors. Smith was 3-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Hensley finished 3-4 with three runs and an RBI.  Foltz also had three singles and drove in three runs.  (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) added two RBIs.

 (Madison, Va./Madison County) started but gave up six runs in 3.0+ innings. Foltz earned her first collegiate win by spreading three hits over 4.0 scoreless innings.

EMU 4, Randolph 3 – 8 innings
The Royals made a great comeback to force extra innings in the nightcap before winning the game in the eighth.

Randolph scored single runs in each of the second and third innings to stake a 2-0 lead. EMU started to get base runners as the game wore on, but couldn’t bring them home, leaving eight on base through six innings.

Down to their final at-bat, the women rallied.  (Timberville, Va./Broadway) led off with a walk and  (Crimora, Va./Fort Defiance) followed with a single. After a strikeout, Smith flew out to center, although it was deep enough that both runners could tag up and stand in scoring position. Hensley came up with the clutch two-out hit, singling to center to bring home both runners and tie the game at 2-2.

Foltz send the WildCats down in order in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. In the eighth, the Royals quickly scored their runner from second with a one-out single from  (Grottoes, Va./Fort Defiance).  (Madison, Va./Madison County) followed with a single to bring home Lucas for a 4-2 lead.

Randolph got a leadoff double to bring in their placed runner, and then loaded the bases with just one out.  But a tapper back to the pitcher turned into a game-ending 1-2-3 double play, giving EMU the 4-3 victory.

Hensley finished 3-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.  Sigrist and Smith each had two hits.  McCallister reached base all four times she came up, getting one single and three walks.

Foltz earned her second win of the day by pitching all eight innings, scattering eight hits to improve to 2-1.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 7-10-1 with the sweep, including 2-3-1 with their first ODAC wins. The Royals now have a tie on their record after last Thursday’s halted game with Bridgewater was declared a final after a review of ODAC bylaws. That contest was tied at 8-8 after five innings.

The women will try to knock the final undefeated ODAC team from their perch tomorrow with two games at Lynchburg College. The Hornets are 2-0 in league play. Start time is 3 p.m.

The last time Eastern Mennonite entered the ODAC tourney as the No. 8 seed, they won four straight games and claimed the 2010 ODAC Championship.  As in previous years, all games at the ODAC Tournament will be at the Moyer Complex in Salem, VA.

Before Sunday’s doubleheader with Lynchburg, senior (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) was honored on Senior Day, and retiring Athletic Events Coordinator Phil Guengerich threw out the first pitch at the final home event of the year.

EMU 9, Lynchburg 5
The Lady Royals took advantage of a handful of Hornet mistakes in their first at-bat, scoring five unearned runs to take the lead.  Allman fittingly started the scoring with an RBI single, and freshman (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) sent a towering three-run bomb over the left field fence to make it 5-0.

The Hornets responded quickly with four, two-out runs in the second.  EMU struck again in the fifth, with Allman rapping another RBI single before (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) shot a three-run homer to make it 9-4.

LC got a solo homerun to lead off the sixth, but Smith retired the next six batters she faced to lock up the win.

Allman finished 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs.  Smith and Lucas each hit their fourth longball of the season.  Lead-off batter (Crimora, VA/Fort Defiance), who transferred from Lynchburg to EMU this year, had a pair of singles.

Smith picked up the win to improve to 6-3.  She allowed just one hit with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief.

EMU 7, Lynchburg 2
Eastern Mennonite scored in the first inning again in the nightcap, and then got a solo shot from (Madison, VA/Madison County) in the second to take a 3-0 advantage.

The Hornets cut the lead to one with two runs in the fourth, but the Allman helped rebuild the cushion in the fifth.  She launched her eighth homerun of the year, and 31st of her career, over the left field fence, as EMU plated four more runs for the final 7-2 margin.

(Elkton, VA/Page County), another LC transfer this year, went the distance from the circle, scattering eight hits to improve to 4-9.

Allman finished 1-2 with three RBIs, hitting a homerun in her final at-bat on Gehman Field.

Smith was a perfect 3-3 from the plate with an RBI.  (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) was 2-3 with a walk, scoring two times.

The Lady Royals close the regular season 21-17 overall and 9-11 in the ODAC.  They tied with Randolph College for seventh, but settled for the No. 8 seed based on losing the head-to-head tie-breaker with the WildCats.  EMU was swept by top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan during the regular season, losing 4-0 and 8-1 in Virginia Beach on Apr. 13.

EMU 10, Mary Baldwin 1 – 5 innings
The women scored once in the first, but broke through in the second.  (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) brought in three with a bases loaded double to push the lead to 6-0.

The Fighting Squirrels got their run in the top of the fourth, but Eastern Mennonite put up four more in the bottom of the frame.  Allman ripped another double which brought in two runs, and (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) followed with an RBI double of her own.

Reigning ODAC Pitcher of the Week (Madison, VA/Madison County) struck out six batters in her five innings of work as she improved to 5-1 on the season.

Allman led the offense with her two doubles and five RBIs.  (Elkton, VA/East Rockingham) also had a pair of hits, scoring twice and driving in another run.  (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) and (Crimora, VA/Fort Defiance) each scored twice as well.

EMU 9, Mary Baldwin 1 – 6 innings
Game two was scoreless until the bottom of the third.  Cash led off with a single and Sigrist also singled with one out.  Allman followed with a two-run double.  A third run scored on a passed ball as EMU jumped ahead 3-0.

Mary Baldwin scored an unearned run on a two-out double in the fourth, but the Lady Royals kept coming in the fifth.  The first four batters had hits, including an RBI single from Lucas and a two-run double from (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby).  (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) added a two-out double to the push the edge to 7-1.

MBC went down in order in the top of the sixth, and the women triggered the eight-run mercy rule in the sixth, as Lucas and Miller had back-to-back RBI hits to plate two.

(Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft) got her first career start and earned the complete game win.  The freshman gave up just two hits and one unearned run.

Miller finished 2-3 with a walk and drove in three runs.  Allman was also 2-3 with a walk, and added two RBIs and two runs.  Lucas had a pair of singles with two RBIs while Sigrist also had two hits and scored twice.

Eastern Mennonite stays at home for two more doubleheaders this weekend, hosting Mary Washington on Saturday and then No. 23 Roanoke on Sunday.

EMU 8, Allegheny 6
The Lady Royals picked up an impressive win over a talented Allegheny team to open day two at the Beach Blast. The women scored four in the second and four more in the fourth, then held on for the win.

In the second, (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) singled with one away and her teammates responded by loading the bases. (Elkton, VA/Spotswood) walked in one run, and (Crimora, VA/Fort Defiance) brought in another with an RBI groundout.  (Mt. Solon, VA/Fort Defiance) then stuck a two-run single into right field.

Hensley, Sigrist and Allman each singled with one out in the fourth to start the next rally. An error and a sacrifice fly brought in the final three runs as the women went up 8-0.

The Gators got a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, and then plated five more runs off reliever (Manassas, VA/Forest Park) in the fifth. Allegheny had a two-out rally in the seventh, but a groundball ended the game and gave EMU the win.

(Elkton, VA/Spotswood) scattered three hits over 4.0 innings of work from the circle to get the win and improve to 1-0. Smith earned the save despite giving up five runs in her 3.0 innings.

Allman had two of EMU’s six hits, going 2-3 with three RBI and a run. She also walked. Hensley went 1-3 with a walk, scoring twice and driving in another.

Washington 2, EMU 1
Washington College scored the game’s first run with two outs in the fourth. Then in the sixth, they added insurance with a leadoff homerun.

Hensley jacked a one-out homer in the bottom of the sixth to slice the lead in half. Allman had a two-out double later in the inning, and (Bridgewater, VA/Turner Ashby) had a two-out double in the seventh, but both runners were left stranded.

(Elkton, VA/Page County) allowed just five hits but took the loss to slide to 0-3.  Hensley, Allman, (Grottoes, VA/Fort Defiance) and Miller each had one of EMU’s hits.

Now 2-4 on the year, the Lady Royals return to Harrisonburg for their home opener this week. The women are scheduled to host Southern Virginia on Wednesday, although the teams are looking at possibly playing the doubleheader earlier in the week because of snow in the forecast.