Due West, SC – Freshman Ericka McCarson (Travelers Rest, SC, Travelers Rest High School) hammered two home runs to help Erskine earn a split with Mt. Olive College today in Conference Carolinas softball action at the Erskine College Softball Complex.  Erskine lost the first game 9-5 but bounced back to win the second game 6-1.  Erskine is now 7-13 overall and 5-3 in conference while Mt. Olive College stands at 16-10 overall and 5-1 in conference.

Game One – Box Score

Mount Olive College scored nine runs in the first three innings and held on to win 9-5.  After scoring one run in the first inning on three consecutive base hits to start the game, the Trojans broke the game open in the second inning.   With one out, Kayla Voorhees delivered a two-run double and Jennifer Jones followed three batters later with a three-run blast knocking Erskine pitcher Kelsey Spurrier (Charlotte, NC, Butler High School) out of the game.  Spurrier went just an inning and two-thirds giving up 6 runs, all earned, on six hits.  Sophomore Katherine Mulzer (Donalds, SC, Dixie High School) retired her first batter to end the inning.   In the third inning, the Trojans again got the big hit with Kalie Smith launching a three-run shot to put the Trojans up 9-2.  That would be Mulzer’s only mistake as she went 5.1 innings in relief while surrendering the three runs on just two hits.

At that point, the hole was too deep for the Flying Fleet.  After giving up the run in the first, Erskine tied the game in their half of the inning on a solo shot by juniorLarissa Shannon (Newberry, SC, Newberry High School).  It was her fifth home run of the year.  The Fleet added another run in the second on an RBI single by sophomore Ashlyn Hicks (Caycee, SC, Brookland-Cayce High School) to make the score 6-2.

Erskine collected three more runs off Mt. Olive’s Christie Wright.  In the fifth inning, McCarson just missed her first home run of the day when her ball hit off the right field wall, bouncing away from the Trojan defender allowing McCarson to  sprint around the bases to third.  McCarson later scored on Lindsey Water’s ground out.  In her next at-bat, McCarson squared up on the ball again, this time clearing the left field wall for her fourth home run of the year to make the final score 9-5.

Wright pitched a full seven innings allowing five earned runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one.

Game Two – Box Score

Erskine rebounded to take the second game 6-1 behind an excellent pitching performance by junior Heather Richey (Abbeville, SC, Abbeville High School).  Richey’s only mistake came in the seventh inning when she gave up a solo home run to Kalie Smith, her second of the day. Richey went the distance throwing seven innings and allowing just the one run on five hits in earning her fifth victory.

For Erskine, McCarson led off the second game with her fifth home run of the year, giving her two home runs in consecutive at-bats.  Erskine got an unearned run later in the first on a dropped fly ball allowing Morgan Purcell (Duncan, SC, Byrnes High School) to score from second.  Shannon put the Fleet up 3-0 with an RBI single in the second.

The Fleet delivered the knockout blow in the fifth inning scoring three runs, only one earned, on two rbi doubles by Shannon and Bailey Thornton (Pauline, SC, Dorman High School).  Lauren Smith took the loss for the Trojans.  Smith pitched 3.1 innings, surrendering six runs, three earned, on seven hits.

Erskine hosts Queens University tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m.