The Belmont Abbey softball team was swept by the nationally
eighth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne Bears this afternoon at Crusader Field,
falling in the opener11-3 after holding a 3-2 lead in the fourth,
and dropping the nightcap 12-3 in six innings. The Bears improve to
40-6, while the Crusaders drop to 19-23.
In the opener, L-R scored the first run of the game in the
second inning, but the Abbey responded with two runs in its half of
the second. Becca Rothrock led off with a single to center and
moved to second on a groundout. Candace Cady lifted a popup to the
rubber, where it dropped between three Bears infielders for a
single, moving Rothrock to third. Sami Michaelis drew a walk to
load the bases for Kasey Kerley, who blooped a single down the
leftfield line that brought home Rothrock for the tying run. Cady
scored two pitches later on a wild pitch to move the Crusaders
ahead 2-1.
One inning later, Rothrock extended the Abbey cushion to 3-1
with a two out solo homer.
That was all of the scoring until the fifth, when the Bears took
advantage of an Abbey error to score seven runs, six of those
unearned. With two outs, an Abbey fielding error on a comebacker to
the pitcher extended the inning for L-R, which scored all seven
runs after the error to pull away and take an 8-3 lead.
L-R scored two more in the fifth on a two-run homer by Jessica
Fellmeth, and it closed the scoring in the sixth on a solo homer by
Brittany Cherry. L-R finished with 12 hits as Cherry finished two
for four with four RBI. Kerley and Rothrock led the Crusaders with
two hits apiece as they collected six in the game.
Dawon Millwood earned the win in a complete game, allowing three
runs on six hits, striking out seven and walking four. Kim Anders
was the tough-luck loser, giving up eight runs, two earned, in four
and two-thirds innings, striking out five.
In game two, the Abbey struck first by scoring the first three
runs of the game, two in the first and one more in the second. In
the opening frame, Kerley led off by reaching on an error and stole
second. Megan Riveros reached when she was hit by a pitch. After a
strikeout, both runners moved up one base on a wild pitch, Anna
Smart plated Kerley with a single that also moved Riveros to third.
Riveros scored on Rothrock's groundout to short to move the Abbey
lead to 2-0.
The following inning, the advantage grew by one as Tara Ruebel
led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice by
Cady. Michaelis moved her to third on a groundout, and Kerley
brought her home with an infield single.
Both teams were scoreless in the the third, and L-R closed the
game by scoring 12 unanswered runs, five coming in the fourth,
three on a homer by Sarah Atkins. The Bears scored four more times
in the fifth and three in the sixth to take a 12-3 lead. The Abbey
went down in order in the sixth as the game ended there.
Alex Smith earned the win in relief of Lauren Harris. Smith held
the Abbey without a hit over the final four scoreless innings,
striking out four. Michaelis took the loss after yielding five runs
on six hits in three and two-thirds innings, striking out three and
walking four.
L-R recorded 15 hits as shortstop Kat Rivers collected three in
five at bats. Rivers, Cherry and Tameron Sealey all drove in two
runs, while Atkins had three. Ruebel, Smart and Cady had all three
of the Abbey's hits.
Game One Box
Game Two Box
