VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Virginia Wesleyan softball has dominated all season and the Marlins' first NCAA Tournament game of 2026 saw the trend continue.
Ali Pollack and Olivia Knight hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, fueling the VWU bats and helping the team to a 14-0 win over John Jay in the Marlins' NCAA regional opener Thursday. The victory improved Wesleyan's record to 46-0 and moved them into the winner's bracket.
"You always want to get the first one out of the way," said VWU head coach Brandon Elliott. "I always go back to 2016 when we lost this game so to get out here and get the first one, we got walked around a little bit, we got some big hits, got a couple home runs, got the willys out a little bit, I think that's kind of the key thing going into tomorrow."
"It's always a relief to get the first game of the tournament out of the way," Knight added. "I'm really proud of us. We came out strong and I know we're going to do well tomorrow so I'm excited for that."
Virginia Wesleyan was helped along by five John Jay errors on the day. The Marlins plated three unearned runs in the opening frame before exploding for six runs in the second inning. After a bases-loaded walk and a run scoring on a passed ball, Taylor McQueen hit a sacrifice fly to left to plate another one for the home team. The next batter, Pollack, hammered a two-run homer over the batter's eye in center field and Knight followed with a solo blast of her own to give VWU a 9-0 advantage after two innings.
Elliott's squad only tallied five hits in the contest, but that would prove to be more than enough, especially after drawing 10 walks with patience at the plate.
Emma Adams picked up the win on the mound, pitching three innings of one-hit softball and striking out two batters. Sarah Prosser walked in all three of her plate appearances and scored three runs. Pollack, McQueen and Paiton Everett each drove in two runs apiece.
Virginia Wesleyan now readies for Manhattanville in Friday's 11 a.m. showdown. The Valiants held off Pfeiffer, 2-1, to improve to 36-8 and set up the match-up with the Marlins.
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