The Belmont Abbey softball team fell twice in a Conference Carolinas doubleheader at Erskine this afternoon, dropping the opener 3-2 and losing the second game 7-0. Erskine moves to 19-14-1 overall and 12-4 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey drops to 14-24 overall and 8-10 in Conference Carolinas.

"We have to start finding ways to win," Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "We seem to be coming up short and not finishing strong. A win takes a total team effort. There is no other way you can do it. The girls really need to step up here over the next week. This is it. This is what we have worked for all year. Now its time to put it all together.

The Crusaders got off to a good start in the opener, jumping ahead 2-0 in the top of the second. A walk to Becca Rothrock and a single by Carol-Anne Sherrill put two runners on with nobody out. A fielder's choice off the bat of Alysia Stewart moved Sherrill to second and cut down Jasmine Berryman, pinch running for Rothrock, at third. Sami Michaelis then reached on an error by the pitcher on a sacrifice attempt, allowing Sherrill to score and move Stewart to third. Kinsey McClure followed with a single that plated Stewart to double the lead to 2-0.

Erskine wasted no time cutting the lead in half, as pitcher Kelsey Spurrier led off the inning with a homer to left. One inning later, another leadoff homer, this one by Larissa Shannon, knotted the game at two.

Belmont Abbey had its best chance to break the tie in the top of the fourth, as Stewart led off taking a pitch off the body to reach first. After Michaelis was called out on batters interference, McClure roped a double that moved Stewart to third. A strikeout and a groundout ended the threat.

Erskine broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth with one run to claim a lead it would never lose. Shannon hit a one out single and moved to second on a fielder's choice. Another fielder's choice moved her to third, and she scored on an ensuing error to move the Flying Fleet ahead 3-2.

Both teams went down in order in the sixth, and the Abbey went down scoreless in the seventh as Erskine earned the win.

Spurrier picked up the win in a complete-game, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out seven. She also homered at the plate. Emily Self took the loss in four innings of relief. She surrendered the winning run on two hits in four innings, striking out one.

McClure had three of the Abbey's four hits, a double and two singles. Shannon finished with three of Erskine's five hits.

In the nightcap, Erskine stormed ahead 5-0 in the second inning, getting a two-RBI single from Morgan Purcell an RBI single from Ashyln Hicks, and an RBI double by Bailey Thornton. The fifth run came on a wild pitch that scored Hicks.

The Abbey threatened in the fourth when it loaded the bases with nobody out. Anna Smart, Stewart and Brooke Bailies began the inning with three-straight singles. A fielder's choice cut down Smart at the plate. On the following at bat, Stewart was picked off at third, and a grounder to third forced Bailies there to end the ininng.

The Fleet closed the scoring in the sixth with two runs, getting a run-scoring double by Shannon, who later scored on a single by Purcell.

Erskine pitcher Heather Richey tossed a complete-game shutout to earn the win, scattering seven hits and striking out two. Self gave up five runs on seven hits in an inning and two-thirds to take the loss. She struck out one.

Seven different Crusaders had hits. Hicks led the Fleet with three hits and Purcell had a pair.