The Belmont Abbey softball team was swept by the visiting
Wingate Bulldogs this afternoon at Crusader Field. The Bulldogs won
by scores of 6-1 and 15-2 (five innings) to improve to 9-1 on the
year. The Crusaders fall to 6-4 overall.
"We knew today was going to be a big challenge," Head Coach
Ellie Hanover said. "Wingate is a very good team with big sticks
and great pitching. The first game was within reach but we just
couldn't get anything going at the plate. The second game just
didn't start off on a good note and we couldn't recover. It's a
good learning experience for us. We will face many more challenges
and we need to learn how to respond to them. I'm confident that my
girls will bounce back and make the adjustments needed for
tomorrow's conference games."
In the opener, the Bulldogs got on the board first in the
fourth, with Barrineau leading off the inning with a double, then
scoring on an RBI single from senior infielder Leyila Myers.
Wingate scored the second run of the inning on a double play.
Wingate doubled its lead in the sixth on a two-run double from
Chavis to make it 4-0. Belmont Abbey cut the lead to three on an
RBI single from senior infielder Tara Ruebel in the bottom of the
sixth.
The Bulldogs added two more insurance runs in the top of the
seventh on a two-run double, making it 6-1.
Junior right-hander Brittany Blankenship got the win, improving
to 4-1 on the season. Blankenship allowed one run on four hits
while striking out nine. Freshman Kim Anders took the loss, falling
to 2-2 on the year.
In game two, Wingate scored on an error in the first to give
Wingate a 1-0 lead. An RBI walk from junior outfielder Jessica
McCraw in the second made it 2-0. Wingate added a two-run single
and another RBI single to put the Bulldogs up by five.
Belmont Abbey senior infielder Candace Cadydelivered an RBI
single in the bottom of the second. A bases-loaded walk cut
Wingate's lead to 5-2.
Wingate would add five runs in the third, one more in the fourth
and four more in the fifth.
Allison Smith got the win, improving to 5-0 on the year. She
allowed two runs on three hits in three innings while striking out
three. Emily Self took the loss, allowing five runs on two hits in
one inning of work.
The Crusaders are back in action Sunday, traveling to Coker for
a 1 p.m. start.
