BRIDGEWATER, Va. – In the final doubleheader of the regular season, the Bridgewater Eagles softball team won in extra innings in the opening game before falling in the nightcap to settle for a doubleheader split with the visiting Quakers of Guilford College on Sunday afternoon.

Bridgewater won the opener by a 4-3 score in eight innings before being silenced at the plate in the second game in a 4-1 loss.

With the split, the Eagles picked up the number five seed for the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament which is set to begin on Friday at the James I. Moyer Complex in Salem, Va. 

Senior pitcher Heather Jenkins put down the Guilford side in order in the first before the Eagles tagged a run on the board in the bottom of the inning.

Junior Kasey Anderson singled down the left field line to open the inning before being sacrificed to second to put a runner in scoring position. Anderson moved to third on a groundout before sprinting home on a Melanie Lamb single to right to put the Eagles out in front, 1-0.

Following a scoreless second inning, the Quakers responded with a single run in the top of the third to knot the game up, 1-1.

Autumn Yoder belted a two-out single for the Quakers in the third before being driven home on a double from the bat of Brittany Donathan to tie the game up at a run each.

Guilford gained the upper hand in the fifth as Donathan pushed home a run on a fielder's choice to give the Quakers a 2-1 advantage.

Bridgewater was held off of the board in the bottom of the frame before answering with a single run in the sixth inning. Sarah Goodman doubled to left field to give the Eagles a one-out base runner before being pushed home on an Anderson single as the Eagles knotted the game up, 2-2, after six complete.

Guilford regained the lead in the seventh when Sloane King belted a solo homer over the center field fence to put the Quakers out in front, 3-2.

Lamb led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and was replaced on the base paths by freshman Kelsey Limbert. Limbert moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Thomas before a groundout left the Eagles with one out remaining in the game. Leigh Lam followed with a double to the gap in right, scoring Limbert to tie the game up at a 3-3 tally, forcing extra innings.

Guilford put runners at second and third in the top of the eighth, but couldn't plate a run as the game remained at a 3-3 deadlock.

Bridgewater made the most of its opportunity in the eighth by plating the game-winning run to take the opener by a 4-3 score. Jenkins, who was placed on second to start the inning, was sacrificed to third as the Eagles knocked on the door of victory with one away. Anderson reached on a throwing error by the pitcher while Jenkins sprinted home as the wild throw sailed into right field to hand Bridgewater a hard-fought 4-3 win.

Anderson led the Eagles at the plate in the opener with a 3-for-5 effort. The junior also scored a run and plated an additional run in the win.

Jenkins picked up her 50^th career win with a complete-game victory. The senior allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out six batters to secure the win.

Three Guilford players tallied two hits each in the loss while Donathan was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on 11 hits.

Guilford got on the board in the first inning of the second game and never trailed in a 4-1 victory.

The Quakers belted a pair of singles in the first to open the scoring as a Rachel Howard single pushed home Allie Nicholson to put Guilford out in front, 1-0.

Bridgewater tied the game up in the third with a single run as the game headed to the fourth at a 1-1 deadlock. Following a Goodman lead-off walk, Anderson reached on a fielder's choice and swiped second to put a runner in scoring position. Three batters later, Lamb drilled a single up the middle, scoring Anderson to tie the game up at a run each.

Guilford added a run in the fifth and a pair of runs in the sixth, while the Bridgewater bats were quieted over the final four innings as the Quakers earned the split with a 4-1 win in the second game of the day.

Lamb led the Bridgewater offense with a 1-for-2 effort at the plate and one RBI as four players tallied a hit each in the loss.

Thomas picked up the loss after allowing four runs on a dozen hits.

Five different Quakers tallied two hits each in the nightcap while Maggie Shaffer secured the win after allowing just one Bridgewater run on four hits in a complete-game effort.

Bridgewater will open play in the conference tournament on Friday when it meets up with Randolph-Macon in a 4 vs. 5 matchup. First pitch against the Yellow Jackets is set for noon on field three at the Moyer Complex.