Crusaders Sweep St. Andrews 7-0, 10-1

LAURINBURG, N.C.—Senior Devane Rushing (Monroe, N.C.) had a team-high three hits including the only extra-base hit for St. Andrews Presbyterian College as Carolinas-Virginia Athletics-Conference rival Belmont Abbey College took the road doubleheader, 7-0 and 10-1, on Saturday afternoon.

The Crusaders improved to 8-29 overall and 5-11 in the CVAC while the Knights fell to 7-25 on the year and 3-11 in the conference.

Sophomore Rachel Parker (Lake City, Fla.) led the Abbey from the plate with four hits, four runs batted in, and two runs scored. Sophomore Katie Hobbs (Matthews, N.C.) also collected four hits for the visitors to go along with three runs scored and a pair of RBI.

Parker provided the Crusaders with an early 2-0 lead in the first game on with a two-run home run in the second inning. Parker drilled the blast over the center field fence.

BAC added two runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth to pull away to the 7-0 victory. A Freshman Candace Cady (Carterville, Ga.) two-run double down the right-field line capped the Crusaders scoring for game one.

Sophomore starter Carrie Markham (Phoenix, Ariz.) only scattered three hits and allowed two walks in the complete-game shutout. Markham also struck out two in the victory. Junior Samantha Stewart (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) took the loss in a complete-game effort for the Knights.

Belmont Abbey once again jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the nightcap with two runs in the second. Sophomore Dani Beres (Greenville, N.C.) and junior Erica Rutledge (Charlotte, N.C.) started the Crusader scoring with run-producing singles during the rally.

Hobbs highlighted a four-run third inning for the Abbey with a two-run triple to extend the Crusaders advantage to 6-0.

Sophomore Brittni York (Indian Trail, N.C.), the only Knight to hit safely in both games, supplied St. Andrews only run of the day with a single in the sixth that scored freshman Danyell Marquez (Riverside, Calif.).

The Abbey put away the second game with a four-run seventh to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Parker had a two-run single during the Crusader outburst.

Rutledge was credited with the game-two victory after tossing all seven innings allowing one run on eight hits while striking out three. Freshman Lauren James (Bahama, N.C.) was tagged with the loss giving up six runs on seven hits in just 2 1/3 innings of action.