DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College softball team (4-2) split a pair of home games with Francis Marion University (4-2) on Wednesday afternoon. Shi Cain's walkoff single clinched a 3-2 victory in eight innings in Game 1, and Francis Marion rallied late to win Game 2 by a score of 5-1. 
 
THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
THE SERIES
Erskine is now 3-13 all-time against the Patriots, and this is the second consecutive season the teams have split a doubleheader, with each team winning one game back in February 2020.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1: Francis Marion opened the scoring in Game 1 with a two-run single in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Senior starting pitcher Hannah Houge settled in after that and her offense overcome the early deficit. A fifth-inning RBI double from Taylor Antley cut the Patriots lead in half, and Cain followed an inning later with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 2. Houge continued to put up zeroes, and finished with a career-high 17 strikeouts, which also made her the all-time strikeout leader in Erskine history. In the bottom of the eighth, it was Cain who delivered again, with a walk-off single that scored Kelci Brown and gave the Fleet a 3-2 win in Game 1.

GAME 2: Erskine starter Chloe Hamilton worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless top of the first, and the Fleet offense picked up right where it left off. Sydney McInnis was hit by a pitch and came around to score two batters later on a Parker Birch run-scoring single. Erskine's lineup cooled off as both pitchers exchanged scoreless frames through the middle innings. In the sixth inning, the Patriots finally found a breakthrough as back-to-back RBI singles gave Francis Marion the lead and ended Hamilton's afternoon. The Patriots hit a three-run home run a few batters later to cap a five-run frame. Erskine was held scoreless in their final two at-bats as Francis Marion took Game 2 by a score of a 5-1.

THE PLAYER
GAME 1: Hannah Houge went all eight innings, allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out a season-high 17 batters. Shi Cain was also 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, including a walk-off single in the eighth inning.

GAME 2: Parker Birch had two of the three Erskine hits, including an RBI single to open the scoring in the first inning.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Fleet are back in action tomorrow for another home doubleheader against Concord University (0-4) at 1:00 p.m. Erskine is 2-1 all-time against Concord, but the Mountain Lions won the previous meeting in a shortened five-inning game by a score of 3-2.

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