Salem, VA (04/01/03) --The Roanoke College softball team, ranked 12th in the nation, improved to 18-3 on the season with a double-header sweep of Guilford College on Tuesday night in Salem, VA. The Maroons also improve to 7-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Quakers, who are playing their first season as a varsity team since 1990, fall to 7-9, 3-3.

Game 1

The Maroons fell behind 7-0 early, but rallied to score nine runs in the bottom of the third inning to secure the 12-8 win in the first game.

The Quakers scored four times in the top of the first and then tacked on three more in the top of the third. The Maroons committed two errors in the first inning, allowing four unearned runs to cross the plate. Kendra Harvey had a two-out, two-run double in the inning and would later add an RBI single in the third. The third inning saw Guilford's first three batters get on safely. Ashley Cooke had an RBI double in the inning, which gave the Quakers a 5-0 lead. The Quakers would add two more runs in the frame to take the 7-0 lead.

The Maroons fired right back in the bottom of the third, scoring nine times to take the lead. The Maroons scored their nine runs on eight hits. Both Robin O'Connor and Amy Zachary had two singles and two runs batted in in the inning. Ashley Pierce had a two-run, pinch-hit double as well. After Roanoke's number-eight and nine batters reached, the Maroons' lead-off through clean-up hitters all had singles.

The Maroons would add three more runs in the game, while the Quakers got one more run, that another unearned run scored by Rhonda Rogers, in the fifth inning.

O'Connor finished the game with four hits in four at-bats and drove in three runs and scored twice. Zachary had two hits and two RBIs. Priscilla Hill got the win for the Maroons, her sixth of the season, pitching to four batters in the third inning.

Jennifer Franklin went 3-for-4 in the loss for the Quakers, while Harvey finished with two hits and three runs batted in. Freshman pitcher Jennifer Evans was tagged with the loss.

Game 2

After holding the Quakers scoreless in the top of the first, the Maroons got two in the bottom of the inning. Amy Zachary led off the inning with a double, went to third on a Crystal Berr, and then scored on a wild pitch. Berry went to third on the wild pitch and then came in on a Mary Thomas sacrifice fly.

The Quakers closed to within one in the top of the second. Rhonda Rogers singles and scored all the way from first on a two-out double by Cara Pattillo.

     The Maroons went ahead by two runs, 3-1, in the second inning. Sarah Chewning reached on a single and eventually came home on an Andrea Grams sacrifice fly. Rachel Capozzi led off the bottom of the third with a double and two batters later scored on a Robin O'Connor single to leftfield. With the bases full of Maroons in the same inning, Zachary go her second double of the game, off of relief pitcher Jennifer Evans, to bring in two more runs and give RC a 6-1 lead. The Maroons scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and got the eight-run rule victory. Zachary had an RBI single in the inning and Mary Thomas walked with the bases loaded to bring the game to a close.

O'Connor finished with two more hits in the win and also drove in a run. Zachary went 4-for-4 in the second game victory and drove in three runners. Sophomore Kim Rowe also collected two hits.