The Belmont Abbey softball team gained a doubleheader split with the visiting Coker Cobras, falling 6-1 in the opener and rallying to take game two 3-2. The Abbey is now 5-6 overall and 2-2 in Conference Carolinas, while Coker moves to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in Conference Carolinas.

"The first game was basically a repeat of last weekend," Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "In between games, we all talked about how to put words into action. The girls knew what needed to be corrected; it was just a matter of doing it now. The second game was a breath of fresh air for us. We came out strong and really battled the whole game. Coker is a tough team with some big hitters. I'm glad that we earned the split but I'm mostly proud of the way my girls reacted after the first game. It was a huge turning point for us. It's exactly what we needed."

"Tomorrow we will get back out on the field and continue to work hard to get better. "

In game one, Coker clubbed three two run homers to account for all of its scoring, starting with the top of the first. Clarissa Suttle worked a one out walk and scored on a homer to left center by Haileigh Rogers.

The Crusaders cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run. Chelsea Elmore led off with an infield single and stole second. She then scored from there when Kathleen Pasquarella dropped a sacrifice bunt, and the throw to first was dropped, allowing Elmore to race home.

That was all of the scoring until the fifth when Coker extended its lead to 4-1. Stacy Burr lined a one out triple down the rightfield line and scored on a homer to center by second baseman Katie McElveen.

In the sixth, Burr closed the scoring with a towering homer to left that also brought home shortstop Sydney Weatherford, who led off with a single and stole second.

Jordan Atkinson worked a complete game to earn the win, allowing an unearned run on five hits while striking out three. She did not issue a walk. Sami Michaelis took the loss. She allowed four runs on three hits in four and one-thirds innings, striking out three and walking one.

Five different Crusaders had hits, while Burr and McElveen both had two hits as the Cobras finished with eight.

In game two, the Abbey surged ahead with two runs in the bottom of the first to claim a lead they would never relinquish, and Emily Self held the Cobras to just two hits in a complete game win. Elmore led off with a sacrifice bunt and moved to second on a Cobras error. Becca Rothrock slashed a single to center to load the bases with nobody out. Pasquarella sneaked a base hit up the middle to score Elmore for the game's first run. Kinsey McClure followed with a grounder to second that was bobbled, allowing Carol-Anne Sherrill to come home and widen the Abbey lead to 2-0.

Coker grabbed one back in the top of the second as Weatherford drew a one out walk and moved to third on a Crusader error. She scored on a McElveen groundout to slice the Abbey lead to 2-1.

Belmont Abbey answered in the top of the third with a two out run. Anna Smart singled to left and came all the way around to score on a double to center by Alysia Stewart. Smart scored just ahead of the throw to push the lead to 3-1. The Cobras answered with a run in the fifth. McElveen led off with a double off the wall in left center. Jennifer Sanborn then dropped a bunt just inside the baseline and raced to first, she beat the throw, but the ball sailed into rightfield allowing her to come home to pull the Cobras within one at 3-2.

From there, the next ten batters were retired until Burr drew a one out walk in the top of the seventh. She was then forced at second, and Sanborn ended the game on a groundout to Elmore.

The Crusaders finished with six hits as Rothrock led the way with two. Four others had one. Pasquarella and Stewart both had an RBI. McElveen and Sanborn had both of the Cobras two hits.

Self scattered two hits, allowing two runs, one earned, in seven innings, fanning one and walking two. Becky Dillon took the loss. She gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits in three innings.