Due West, SC – The Erskine softball team salvaged at split today with Limestone College in Conference Carolinas softball action at the Erskine College Softball Complex. Limestone won the first game of the doubleheader 4 to 3 in 10 innings. The Fleet came back to win the second game 2 to 1 on a controversial umpire call in the bottom of the 7th inning. The split keeps both teams in the contention for the conference regular season championship. Erskine now stands at 16-13-1 overall and 9-3 conference. Limestone moves to 14-26-1 overall and 5-3 in conference.
In the first game, each team was limited to just three hits apiece through the first six innings. Finally, in the seventh, Limestone broke the scoreless tie scoring an unearned run on an Erskine miscue to take a 1-0. In Erskine’s half of the final inning, Bailey Thornton (Pauline, SC, Dorman High School) drilled a solo shot for her third home run of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
After only scoring two runs through the first seven innings of regulation play, the two teams combined to score five runs over the next three extra innings. Following the international softball tie-breaking rules (a base runner starts at second at the beginning of each inning), both teams scored a run each in the first two extra frames. With the score tied 3 to 3 in the tenth, Limestone’s Jenna Guse started the inning with a successful steal of third base. After Kirstyn Burleson reached on a fielder’s choice, Guse scored on an Erskine throwing error while Burleson to advance to third. Limestone's next batter, Shelby Webb, lifted a fly ball to left and Erskine’s Jordan Suther (Loganville, GA, South Gwinnett High School) gunned down Burleson at home to end the Saint scoring threat and keep Erskine within one run. In the home half of the tenth, Erskine’s Jocelyn Smith (Greer, SC, Riverside HS) tried to score from second on a single by Larissa Shannon (Newberry, SC, Newberry High School) but was thrown out by Limestone centerfielder Taylor Wigmore at the plate for the final out, giving the Saints the thrilling 4 to 3 victory in ten innings.
Erskine’s Kelsey Spurrier (Charlotte, NC, Butler High School) took the complete game loss, going all ten innings, giving up four runs, all unearned, on four hits. She fanned five and walked two in the losing effort. Spurrier also went 2 for 4 with an rbi at the plate. Shelby Webb earned the win in relief for the Saints, tossing three innings while surrendering one run on three hits.
Erskine bounced back to take the second game 2 to 1, highlighted by a controversial umpiring call in the bottom half of the seventh. After back-to-back singles by Hannah Mills and Alex Aburto, Limestone scored an unearned run in the third inning on an Erskine throwing error allowing Mills to score from second. Erskine got the run back in their half of the third on a solo home run by Shannon, her seventh of the year. The game remained tied until the seventh inning. Erskine’s Whitney Brown (West Columbia, SC, Airport High School) got on base on a Limestone throwing error and advanced to second. Moving to third on Colleen Gardner’s ground ball, Limestone Coach Jimmy Martin elected to walk both Larissa Shannon and Morgan Purcell (Duncan, SC, Byrnes High School), who had five of the Fleet’s eight hits in the game, to load the bases with one out. At this point, Limestone’s pitcher Shelby Webb was called for an illegal pitch by the home plate umpire scoring Brown from third and giving the Fleet the 2 to 1 victory. Heather Richey (Abbeville, SC, Abbeville High School) pitched a complete game yielding one unearned run on five hits to earn her eighth win of the season. Shelby Webb took the loss in relief pitching one-third of an inning.
The Fleet travel to Hartsville, South Carolina, on Tuesday to play conference foe Coker College. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
