DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College softball team (19-16, 9-9 CC) was swept in a doubleheader against Belmont Abbey College (16-22, 10-10 CC) at the Erskine Softball Complex on Tuesday afternoon.

THE ESSENTIALS 
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Belmont Abbey 9-7 Erskine
Belmont Abbey started the game with a pair of home runs, but Erskine quickly answered back in the bottom half of the first inning, taking advantage of a couple of Crusaders errors that allowed Amber Clark and Hayden Bradley to score and tie the game. Abbey scored three times in the top of the second, but once again the Fleet answered back in the bottom half in what quickly became a shootout. After singles from Maddie Ingram and Kenzie Eagleman to start the frame, Mary Elizabeth Ballard drove in pinch-runner Addy Crawford to make it a 5-3 game. Then, the Fleet executed a delayed double steal to perfection, as Eagleman swiped home and cut the deficit to a run. A few moments later, Hayden Bradley capped a stretch of five straight singles to start the inning, scoring Ballard and tying the game at five after just two innings. Payton Cox settled in on the mound in the third inning, setting down the Crusaders in order, and Erskine took the lead in the bottom half on another delayed double steal; this time it was Savannah Koester who stole home on the back end and Erskine took a 6-5 lead. Cox continued to find her rhythm, retiring Belmont Abbey with ease in the top of the fourth, and a Payton Rabon RBI single in the bottom half doubled the Fleet's lead, 7-5. But, Belmont Abbey hit a three-run home run in the sixth to retake the lead as they stole Game 1 late, 9-7.

Game 2: Belmont Abbey 14-1 Erskine (Final / 5 innings)
The back half of the doubleheader was all Belmont Abbey, as they scored three times in the first inning and never looked back. McKinna Taylor's RBI single in the fourth inning got Erskine on the board, but the Crusaders took Game 2 via the run rule.

THE PLAYER
Amber Clark went 2-for-4 with a walk atop the Erskine lineup in Game 1, and also scored the first run of the game for the Fleet.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Erskine wraps up the 2023 regular season on the road against Francis Marion University (34-10, 14-6 CC) with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.

MORE ABOUT THE ERSKINE COLLEGE FLYING FLEET

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