Due West, SC – After having their first five games rained (or snowed) out, the Erskine Softball Team finally took the field on Saturday against South Atlantic Conference member Tusculum College at the Erskine Softball Complex. The Fleet took the first game 2-0 but lost the nightcap in extra innings 2-1.
In the first game, sophomore pitcher Kelsey Spurrier (Charlotte, NC, Butler High School) threw a masterful game, surrendering only one hit, over 7 shutout innings. Spurrier had a perfect game through 5 2/3 innings when the Tusculum’s number nine hitter, Savannah Ewing hit a double, breaking up the perfect game and no-hitter. Spurrier immediately got Taylor McDonald to ground out to third to end the inning. Offensively, the Fleet got their first run in the top of the second when sophomore catcher Larissa Shannon (Newberry, SC, Newberry High School) smashed a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Freshman Ashlyn Hicks (Caycee, SC, Brookland-Cayce High School) hit a long fly to center to score Shannon. The Fleet picked up an insurance run in the fourth inning when the Tusculum second baseman missed play at hot-shot from Hicks, scoring senior Lindsey LaPrad (Summerville, SC, Fort Dorchester HS) from third. The two runs were all Spurrier needed as she threw 7 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts.
In the second game, the Fleet scored first in the bottom of the second. Shannon led off the inning with a single. With Toni Marzello (Mulberry, FL, Mulberry Senior High School) pinch-running, she advanced to second on a sacrifice by sophomore centerfielder Morgan Purcell (Duncan, SC, Byrnes High School) and later scored on a base hit by sophomore first baseman Colleen Gardner (Matthews, NC, Butler High School). Tusculum tied in the game in the top of the 4th. Shanda Kimbrough walked and stole second. After a groundout to short, Kimbrough scored on a single by P. Sneed. In the eighth inning, Tusuculum scored a run on a groundout by Ewing. The Fleet failed to score the tying run in the bottom of the inning when Jordan Suther was thrown out at home by Tusculum centerfielder Katie Brennan to end the game. Heather Richey (Abbeville, SC, Abbeville High School)took the tough loss tossing 8 innings, giving up two runs on just two hits, walking two and striking out three.
Prior to the game, the Erskine Softball team dedicated their new press box in honor of Ms. Gina Gunter. Ms. Gunter passed away after a courageous fight against breast cancer. Ms. Gunter’s daughter, Lauren, and niece, Kim, graduated from Erskine and were all-conference pitchers for the Fleet.
Erskine (1-1) hosts North Greenville University on Tuesday starting at 2 p.m.
First game box score
Second game box score
