VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In its first road contests of the year, the third-ranked Salisbury University softball team took down the seventh-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in a doubleheader on Wednesday. Timely hitting and strong pitching from Savannah Sheats and Nicole Ortega paced the 3-1 win over the Marlins in the opener. In game two, a six-run second inning fueled an 8-3 six-inning victory for the nightcap.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• After threatening to score with a runner at third in the three innings, Salisbury broke through the run column with two-out magic in the top of the fourth. Maddison Lednum singled and advanced to third on an error and a wild pitch. Sam Flowers followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Lednum.
• A successful double steal doubled SU's lead, 2-0, in the fifth. In a first and third situation, McKenna Horner got intentionally caught in a rundown which allowed Lindsey Windsor to score from third base.
• Windsor added more insurance for Salisbury in the sixth with an RBI single to plate Jillian Dawson, extending the lead to 3-0.
• VWU cut into the lead with an Alison Pollack RBI double in the sixth but Nicole Ortega closed the door in the seventh to seal the 3-1 win.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME 1

• Maddison Lednum and Sam Flowers each collected two hits. Flowers added an RBI in the fourth inning.
• Lindsey Windsor, Lauren Meyers, Jillian Dawson and Madi Lemon each tallied a hit.
• As a team, Salisbury showed off its wheels with five stolen bases.
• Savannah Sheats (W, 2-0) picked up the win in 5.2 strong innings of work. She scattered five hits and only allowed a run.
• Nicole Ortega (SV, 1) recorded the save in 1.1 innings of relief.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• It didn't take long for the Sea Gulls to get the game's first run. Abby Mace led off the game with a walk and stole second. Lindsey Windsor followed with an RBI single to score Mace.
• After a scoreless bottom of the first, the Sea Gulls pushed across six runs in the second. Emily Stockman scored Carrie Jacoby on an RBI single. Later in the inning, four straight RBI base hits by Mace, Windsor, Natalie Paoli and Lauren Meyers stretch the Sea Gull lead to 7-0.
• Virginia Wesleyan cut into the lead, 7-3, in the fourth on an RBI double by Alison Pollack and back-to-back RBI groundouts.
• The Sea Gulls added a run in the top of the sixth when Windsor hit an RBI double to score Mace from first base to extend the lead to 8-3. Later in the inning, the game was called due to darkness.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES – GAME 2

• Eight of the nine Salisbury starters tallied at least one hit in game two to total 15 hits as a team.
• Lindsey Windsor (W, 1-0) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a double. In the circle, she earned her first win of the season with four strikeouts. She only allowed three runs on four hits and a walk.
• Abby Mace went 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
• Carrie Jacoby, Lauren Meyers, Maddison Lednum and Emily Stockman all registered a pair of hits. Jacoby added a double to her line.
• Windsor, Paoli, Jacoby, Taylor Scott and Jillian Dawson each scored a run in the win.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will host Clarkson and McDaniel in a weekend series starting on Saturday, March 4.
• The Sea Gulls will open with Clarkson at 10:30 a.m. followed by McDaniel at 12:30 p.m. at Sea Gull Softball Stadium.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.