Tigerville, SC –  In a clash between two unbeatens, the Crusaders of North Greenville University shutout Erskine twice, winning two classic pitching duels 1-0 and 3-0, in Conference Carolinas softball action at the NGU Softball Field.  The two losses drop the Flying Fleet to 4-2 in conference and 6-12 overall while the Crusaders remain undefeated in conference play at 8-0 and 11-3 overall.

Game One – Box Score

Both pitchers dominated the opposing hitters in game one surrendering just seven hits total, 5 by NGU and 2 by Erskine.  Fittingly to a pitcher’s duel, North Greenville won on an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh.  NGU’s Rachel Glazebrook limited the Fleet to just two hits while striking out ten and walking four.  Kelsey Spurrier (Charlotte, NC, Butler High School) was pinned with the loss giving up the one unearned run on five hits.  Spurrier whiffed six while issuing three free passes.

NGU’s Courtney Campbell led the seventh with a base hit and advanced to second on a pass ball.  Following a strikeout for the first out, Kansas Wofford moved Campbell to third with a single to right.  Sarah Armstrong’s ground ball found a hole between short and third to score Campbell to win the game 1-0.

Bailey Thornton (Pauline, SC, Dorman High School) and Ericka McCarson (Travelers Rest, SC, Travelers Rest High School) had the two Fleet base hits in the game.

Game Two – Box Score

Pitching continued to rule the day in game two.  NGU’s Cassi Carpenter fired a five-hit shutout to outduel Erskine’s Heather Richey (Abbeville, SC, Abbeville High School) who gave up 3 runs on six hits over six innings of work.

The Crusaders scored a single run in second, fourth and fifth innings to win 3-0.  In the third, Courtney Campbell led off the inning with her first of two hits and later scored on a fielder’s choice.  Courtney’s second hit was a solo home run in the fourth to put NGU up 2-0.  The Crusaders got to Richey on last time in the fifth when Armstrong scored on Glazebrook’s double into the gap.

Three times Erskine had runners in scoring position with less than two outs and could not put a run on the board.  In the third inning, Erskine had runners on second and third with one out and failed to put the ball in play with both outs coming via the strikeout.

The next inning following a one-out walk to Morgan Purcell (Duncan, SC, Byrnes High School), Thornton smashed a ball to the wall in left-center putting herself and Purcell at second and third respectively.  Courtney Campbell dodged a bullet as Ashlyn Hick’s line drive was snagged by the first base man Sarah Griffith saving two runs.  Campbell struck out the next batter to end the threat.

Erskine loaded the bases in the fifth inning with one out but Courtney Campbell induced a pop-up to short and strike out in pitching out of yet another jam.

Erskine returns home for their next two match-ups.  The Fleet host the Trojans of Mount Olive College in a doubleheader on Friday starting at 2:00 p.m.  On Saturday, the Fleet play two against Queens University with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.