Due West, SC----Erskine scored six runs in the sixth inning to win game one of their conference opening double header with Pfeiffer University 7-3 Wednesday. The Falcons would hold off a late Erskine rally to win game two 5-4.
The Fleet took a 1-0 lead in the first when
Katee Knapp (Branford, FL, Branford High School) was hit by a pitch and later scored on an error by the Pfeiffer first baseman. Falcon starter Allison Braswell would then settle in and hold Erskine scoreless for the next four innings. Pfeiffer would tie the game up in the fourth, taking advantage of three Fleet errors. The Falcons would take the lead in the fifth, with an RBI double from Kylee Nichols that scored Megan McNeill and add another run that inning on a sacrifice fly by Stephanie Bethea to go up 3-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Erskine would have runners at first and third with one out when
Rebekah George (Mauldin, SC, Southside Christian) singled to centerfield to score
Lindsey LaPrad (Summerville, SC, Fort Dorchester HS) and make it a 3-2 game. That brought
Jocelyn Smith (Greer, SC, Riverside HS) to the plate and she would single to left field to load the bases loaded for
Melinda Bowman (Aiken, SC, Aiken High School). Bowman blasted a 1-0 pitch off the left field wall for a two run double to give the Fleet a 4-3 lead. Smith and Bowman would then score on an error by the Falcon pitcher and
Kerry Fincher (Easley, SC, Wren HS) who reached on the error would later score on a ground out by Kayla Vinson to complete the Fleet scoring and making it a 7-3 game going into the seventh inning. Pfeiffer would load the bases up in the top of the inning on singles by Brittany Waldon and Bethea, while Martina Bullard reached on an error. With one out, Erskine starter
Lauren Gunter (Batesburg, SC, Batesburg-Leesville High School) would give way to
Leigh Shelley (Fork, SC, Lake View) to finish the game out. Shelley came in and got a ground out and strike out to pick up her second save of the season.
Bowman led the Fleet at the plate going 2-2 with a double and two runs batted in, while
Kelly Davis (Weaverville, NC, North Buncombe High) was 2-4. Gunter picked up the win allowing three runs (two earned) in 6.1 innings of work.
Waldron went 2-3 with a run scored for the Falcons and Nichols was 1-4 with a double and RBI. Braswell took the loss allowing six runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings of work with six strike outs.
The Fleet would once again get on the board first in game two with a RBI single in the second inning from Kelly Davis. The lead would not last long as Pfeiffer would take advantage of an Erskine error in the third and score three runs. With runners at first and second, Martina Bullard would line a double into left center to score two runs, and would later score on a double by Shelby Fleming to make it a 3-1 game. Erskine would cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth on an RBI single from
Kayla Vinson (Berea, SC, Berea High School) that scored
Amber Lynn Hartley (Batesburg-Leesville, Batesburg-Leesville, Spartanburg Methodist) who had led the inning off with a walk. The Falcons would add two insurance runs in the sixth, after three walks to load the bases; Stephanie Bethea hit a two run single to make it a 5-2 game.
In the bottom of the sixth Hartley led the inning off with a single, but Gunter would ground into a double play to clear the bases. With two outs, Davis would single to left and then Vinson walked to bring Knapp to the plate. She would smash a double into the right center field gap that scored both runners and make it a 5-4 game. That would be as close as the Fleet would get as Christie Thomas would come in and retire the next for Erskine hitters to pick up the save.
Bullard led the Falcons at the plate going 2-4 with a double and two runs driven in, while Bethea finished the game 2-4 with two RBIs. Ranzy York picked up the win allowing four runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Davis was perfect at the plate for the Fleet going 4-4 with an RBI and run scored, while LaPrad finished the game 3-4 and Vinson was 1-2 with an RBI. Rebekah George took the loss allowing five runs (two earned) in 5.1 innings of work with six strike outs.
