DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College softball team (4-12) earned a split of a doubleheader against Alderson Broaddus University (3-7) at the Erskine Softball Complex on Monday afternoon. The Fleet dropped the first game, 7-6 but came back to cruise to a 7-1 win in Game 2 of the day.
 
THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
THE SERIES
Monday marked the first ever meetings between the Fleet and Battlers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1: Alderson Broaddus 7-6 Erskine
After Kelci Brown retired the side in order in the top of the first inning, the Erskine offense gave their starting pitcher an early lead. Brown led off by reaching on an error before the Battlers walked the bases loaded and Brooke Patterson drew a free pass to follow that allowed Brown to walk home for the game's first run. Maddie Ingram squared up a ball a few pitches later, which unfortunately found a glove in the outfield but Katie Spires scored easily on the play to double the Fleet's lead. But, an error from the Fleet in the third inning helped the visitors plate four runs in the frame and flip a two-run deficit on its head, leading 4-2. The Battlers lead was short-lived, though, as Sydney McInnis and Aly Salois delivered RBI singles in the bottom half of the third to tie the game at 4. Alderson Broaddus regained the lead in the top of the third, but reliever Kaley Ingle started to find a rhythm, limiting the visitors to just the one run. Then, Faith Belue led off the bottom of the fourth by launching a game-tying home run to left center field. That score remained the same all the way until the bottom of the sixth when McInnis delivered a massive two-out, RBI triple to give Erskine a 6-5 lead heading into the seventh. But, Alderson Broaddus scored twice in their last at-bat and the Fleet went quietly in the bottom half as they lost a heartbreaking first game, 7-6.

GAME 2: Erskine 7-1 Alderson Broaddus
Erskine starter Payton Cox began her afternoon by issuing a leadoff walk but retired the next three batters and her offense wasted no time getting on the board again in game 2. A single and an error set up an opportunity for Faith Belue, who delivered with a two-out, two-run double as Erskine struck in the bottom of the first inning to go ahead 2-0. Cox allowed the leadoff batter to reach again in the second, but a pair of strikeouts helped get the freshman out of the frame with no damage done. Then, Katie Hunter was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the second, stole second base and scored thanks to a Battlers error as Erskine added another run, leading 3-0. In the third inning, Cox surrendered back-to-back singles to open the frame but set down the next three batters to keep Alderson Broaddus off the board. Meanwhile, the Fleet offense kept coming as Belue roped an RBI single into left field to make it a 4-0 game. The Battlers got on the board via an unearned run in the top of the fourth, but Erskine gave Cox some real cushion in the bottom half. Aly Salois drew a bases loaded walk before Belue followed a few batters later by poking a two-run single into shallow center field, adding to her terrific day at the plate and giving the Fleet a 7-1 lead. Cox had to work around traffic on the basepaths in each of the final three innings but was at her best when it was needed the most, as she went the distance to finish off a 7-1 victory for Erskine in Game 2.

THE PLAYER
Faith Belue was 5-for-7 at the plate on the day, including a game-tying solo home run in Game 1 and a 5-RBI performance in Game 2. Meanwhile, Payton Cox had her best outing of her young Erskine career, pitching a complete game in the back half of the doubleheader and allowing just one unearned run while racking up five strikeouts.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine goes on the road on Thursday, March 11 as they take on Lenoir-Rhyne University (17-6, 2-0 SAC) for a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m. The Bears have won five of the last six meetings, including a doubleheader sweep in Due West back in February 2020.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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