Richard Bland Sweeps Southside Virginia CC 26-1 (5), 24-0 (5)

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Freshmen Brooklynn Bilyard/Culpeper and Ashley Fritz/North Chesterfield each had seven hits, and sophomore Tabby Dabney/Mechanicsville had five hits, including two home runs, and nine RBIs, to lead Richard Bland College to a softball doubleheader sweep past Southside Virginia Community College on Tuesday at the RBC Softball Field.  Sophomore Shannon Buffington/Virginia Beach earned the pitching victory in the five-inning, 26-1 run-rule shortened opener for the host Statesmen (14-18), while Brooklynn Bilyard gained the pitching triumph in the five-inning, 24-0 nightcap against the visiting Panthers. 

In the first game, Richard Bland scored 26 runs on 27 hits, including one home run and 14 doubles … plating 10 runs in the first inning, one in the second, six in the third and nine runs in the fourth.  In the first, freshman Kay'Lee Justice/Suffolk (3-5, 2 RBIs), Bilyard (4-5, 2 RBIs), sophomore Katelyn King/Chesterfield (2-2, RBI), freshman Kara Morris/Kents Store (2-4, RBI) and Dabney (2-5, 3 RBIs) each contributed run-scoring doubles.  Fritz (4-5, 5 RBIs) added an RBI triple and Justice also had an RBI single, while sophomore Morgan Whitley/Franklin (2-4, 2 RBIs) crossed the plate on a wild pitch.  Whitley had reached on an error that allowed King to score. 

In the second, freshman Taylor Daniel/Alberta (2-4, 2 RBIs) reached on an error that scored Fritz.  In the third, Whitley and Dabney each had two-run doubles, while Daniel also added a run-scoring single and Fritz reached on an error that allowed Justice to score.  In the fourth, sophomore Sierra Johnson/Capron (2-3, 3 RBIs) hit a two-run home run, her first collegiate homer for the Statesmen.  In addition, Fritz added a two-run double and freshman Kamryn Lanier/Chester (2-3, RBI) had a run-scoring double, while Fritz, sophomore Katelyn Cobb/Newsoms (1-1, RBI), Bilyard and Johnson each added RBI singles.

Bilyard and Fritz each had four hits, and Justice had three hits in game one for Richard Bland

Buffington (5-9) started in the circle and tossed the complete-game 5.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, earned, with nine strikeouts and no walks.

In the second game, Richard Bland scored 24 runs on 20 hits, including two home runs and five doubles … scoring 13 runs in the first inning, three runs each in the second and third, and five runs in the fourth.  In the first, Fritz (3-5, 3 RBIs) had a two-run triple, Bilyard (3-5, 4 RBIs) had a two-run double, Johnson (2-5, 2 RBIs) had a run-scoring double, and Fritz, Lanier (3-3, RBI) and Bilyard each contributed RBI singles.  In addition, Daniel (2-4) scored on a wild pitch, Justice (2-4, 2 RBIs) reached on an error that allowed Morris (1-4, RBI) to score and Dabney (3-4, 6 RBIs) also reached on an error that allowed Lanier, Daniel and Morris to cross the plate.

In the second, Dabney hit a two-run home run and Johnson added an RBI single.  In the third, Morris had a run-scoring double and Dabney slammed her second homer on the day, another two-run shot for her team-leading eighth home run this season.  In the fourth, Dabney added a two-run double, freshman Kennedy Presson/Wakefield (1-1, RBI) and Justice each had run-scoring singles and Bilyard reached on an error that plated Dabney. 

Dabney, Bilyard, Fritz and Lanier each had three hits in game two for Richard Bland.

Bilyard (4-2) started in the circle and tossed the complete-game shutout over 5.0 innings, yielding just one hit with eight strikeouts and no walks. 

The Statesmen combined for 19 doubles on the day to establish a new season-record with 68 doubles, surpassing the previous record of 62 in 2015.

Richard Bland will travel to play on the road at Hagerstown (Md.) Community College on Thursday, April 13 at 3 p.m. in Hagerstown, Maryland.