The Belmont Abbey softball team dropped both games of its doubleheader this afternoon at Anderson. The Crusaders fell in game one 5-0 and took a 10-2 five inning loss in the nightcap. The Crusaders are now 5-8 on the year, while Anderson improves to 13-6.

"Today we made a couple changes in the line up just to try some things out,"Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "Anderson is a very good team. They came out aggressive and ready to play. I think after the top of the fourth in the first game, we had a miscue on the bases and that seemed to carry over into the field in the bottom of the inning.We had a couple of players who had some quality at bats today. Brooke made some very pretty plays over at third as well. We have some very tough games coming up in South Carolina and Florida. Our goal is to work hard to get better for conference."

In the opener, the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when the Trojans scored three times, two on a double by Kinsey Durham. Durham later scored on a groundout by Kayla Hipp.

The Crusaders threatened in the top of the fifth, as they loaded the bases with nobody out. Anna Smart led off with a single and moved to second on an Anderson error. Alysia Stewart followed with a shallow single to left, moving Smart to third and Brittany Southard to second. The threat ended on a fielder's choice groundout and a pair of foulouts.

Anderson added to its lead in the bottom of the frame by scoring two runs, getting an RBI double from Durham and an RBI single from Hipp.

Both teams went down in order in the sixth, and the Abbey threatened again in the seventh. Smart worked a one out walk and advanced to second on a Southard single. Stewart again ripped a single to load the bases, but the threat expired on a pair of strikeouts to end the game.

Emily Self took the loss in three and one-thirds innings of work, allowing three runs on eight hits. Casey Deer took the win in a complete game effort, striking out eight batters over seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits with no runs.

Stewart finished with two of the Abbey's five hits, while Smart, Brooke Baliles and Carol-Anne Sherrill each had one. Durham led the Trojans with three hits. Hipp and Amber Duncan both had two each as Anderson finished with 11.

In game two the Abbey jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the third on a two-run blast by Kathleen Pasquarella. Anderson seized control in the bottom of the frame by scoring three runs, using a two RBI single from Abby Child and a run scoring single by Emily Monteith.

After the Crusaders went scoreless in the fourth, Anderson widened its lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the fourth after it scored six times. Duncan clubbed a two-run homer, and Cameron White added a bases loaded double that cleared the bases. Danielle Swygert added an RBI triple.

In the fifth, the Crusaders were scoreless despite a one out double from Smart, and Anderson ended the contest in the bottom of the frame on a solo homer by Child.

Deer earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits in five innings, fanning three. Self took the loss. She yielded three runs on five hits in two innings. She struck out one.

Five different Crusaders had one hit apiece. Anderson recorded 12 as Child finished three for four with three RBI.