SALEM, Va. (BC Athletics) – The Bridgewater College Softball booked its spot in the ODAC Championship Series for the first time since 2012 with a 6-2 win over Averett.

Game 1
The Basics
Score: Bridgewater 6, Averett 2
Records: Bridgewater 29-14, Averett 25-18

How It Happened
• Mackenzie Cauthorn opened game one as she induced a trio of flyouts across the outfield. Aniella Baldwin opened the bottom half of the first with an infield hit for BC. A flyout got AU the first out of the frame, and a shallow flyout followed as Baldwin was doubled up on the play. The Cougars earned their first base runner in the top of the second with a double down the line and a wild pitch moved the runner to third. Cauthorn regrouped as she struck out Owen to end the frame.
• Andrea Savage opened the home half of the second with a single, but a failed sacrifice attempt left her at first with two outs. Lexi Schaaf delivered with a base rip that nearly tagged Savage on her way to second, but both runners reached safely A sharp lineout ended the frame as BC stranded two. Bridgewater kept knocking on the door in the third as Baldwin singled with one out. Caroline Malandra stepped in next and drilled the third pitch she saw to left center. Baldwin slid in just before the tag, to get BC on the board as Malandra was in at third. Averett made a pitching change as McKenna Mueller stepped in. The BC shortstop lifted a ball to left field and the Cougars made a play on it, but Malandra scored easily to make it a 2-0 BC lead.
• Averett got on the board in the top of the fourth as a two-out double gave them life. Brooks followed with another double to the same spot and Woodlief scored. BC bounced back in the bottom of the frame with two away. Schaaf doubled down the line in left to start the ball and Kaelyn Ramsey delivered with a single back up the middle to push Schaaf in from second. BC wasn’t done there as Cauthorn helped herself out in the box as she clobbered a ball to left center and out of the ballpark for a two-run home run. The Cougars made another change in the circle, but a pair of walks by Baldwin and Malandra extended the frame. A deep flyout by Mueller ended the frame, but the damage was done with the Eagles in front 5-1.
• A hit by pitch and a single put a pair of runners on for AU, but a foul out and a groundout got BC out of the jam. The Eagles added on as Savage was tagged by a pitch and her pinch runner Molly Ecroyd moved to third. Lily Moyers delivered with a sacrifice fly to score Ecroyd and BC pushed the lead to 6-1.
• Averett kept pushing but left a runner stranded in the top of the sixth. They opened the top of the seventh with a double and the runner advanced to third with two outs. A single drove in the lead runner and made it 6-2. A wild pitch moved the runner to second, but a pitch later a groundball followed to Mueller at short and the senior flipped it to Moyers at first for the final out as BC clinched a spot in the ODAC Championship Series.

Match Notes
• Cauthorn (16-7) went the distance for the third-straight day as she allowed seven hits and struckout three. She also led the BC offense with a pair of runs driven in, while six different Eagles tallied hits.
• Zabik took the loss for AU as she tossed the first 2.1 innings for the Cougars. Woodlief led AU with a pair of hits.

UP NEXT
With the win, BC advances to the ODAC Championship series next weekend against No. 1 Virginia Wesleyan in a two-out-of-three series with the Marlins. The date and times are yet to be determined.

— BC Athletics —