The Belmont Abbey softball team (7-21) split a doubleheader at Tusculum College (9-17) on Sunday at Red Edmonds Field, dropping game one by a score of 9-3 before staving off a Pioneers seventh inning rally to win game two 6-4.

Dani Beres paced the Crusaders with four hits, including three doubles, while driving in three runs in the twin-bill. Carrie Markham and Gina Antonucci each had three hits on the day while Tara Ruebel tied Beres for the team-lead with three RBI.

Kayla Short (4-10) got the nod for the Crusaders in game one, pitching the full seven innings and recording two strikeouts. Danielle Puckett (2-5) picked up her second win of the season in game two, striking out five batters in seven innings of work.

Rachel Hopper went 5-for-7 on the day with a team-high three RBI, including a 3-for-4 performance in game two of the twin-bill. Hopper, Alex Kimbrell and Taylor MacDonald each scored two runs in the doubleheader. Makenzie Loy, Savannah Ewing and Phlyscia Powell each drove in a pair of runs for the Pioneers.

Lindsay Bridges (1-3) made her seventh start of the season for the Pioneers in game one, pitching the first four innings while allowing two runs to pick up her first win of the campaign. Aly Hansen (2-4) threw the final three frames in relief of Bridges to earn her first save of the season. Junior Holli Cadenhead (6-10) made the start in game two, allowing two earned runs in three and one-third innings.

In the opener, Belmont Abbey opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the first inning, highlighted by Katie Hobbs' RBI triple to right center which plated Antonucci from first. Tusculum answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the score at 2-2 on Loy's two-run single to center.

The Pioneers broke the game open in the fourth inning with seven runs on five hits and three Crusader miscues to take a 9-2 lead into the fifth. Belmont Abbey scored once in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 9-2, before Hansen retired four of the final five batters of the game to record her first career save.

In the nightcap, the Crusaders opened the scoring with two runs in the third inning, plating two runners on an RBI double by Beres and a one-run single by Ruebel to take an early 2-0 lead. The Abbey extended the lead to 5-0 with three runs in the fourth on four hits, including a two-run single by Beres that plated Antonucci and Puckett.

After the Crusaders tacked on another run in the seventh to push the lead to 6-0, Tusculum came up in the bottom of the inning and put its first two batters of the frame on base on a pair of walks. Powell then reached on a fielder's choice with one out to load the bases for the Pioneers, before Belmont Abbey issued a pair of base-loaded walks with two outs to put TC within striking distance at 6-2. Hopper then cut the lead to 6-4 with a two-run single, before Puckett forced a groundout to second to quell the rally and earn the doubleheader split for the Crusaders.