Belmont Abbey freshman pitcher Nikki Faust held Coker to just one run on six hits, striking out four in a complete game effort as the Crusaders softball team took game one 8-1, but fell in game two by a 3-2 score to gain a split in a Conference Carolinas series. The Abbey is now 2-8 overall and 1-1 in Conference Carolinas, while Coker moves to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in Conference Carolinas.

"I was extremely happy with how we played the first game," Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "Nikki pitched great, the defense was excellent and our bats were hot. The second game started off great but after the first inning, we got complacent. We have to do a better job of staying up. It's hard to sweep a series in this league but I honestly thought we could have done just that with Coker. We just need to find that consistency."

In the opener, Faust held the Cobras hitless through two and two-thirds innings, retiring eight of the first nine batters she faced. The offense gave her the only runs she would need in the top of the third as the Crusaders took advantage of three Coker errors to score two runs. Chelsea Elmore led off with a walk and moved to second on an error off the bat of Aleisha Peek. Amber Faust moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt, an the second Coker error, a throwing error on a grounder by Carol-Anne Sherrill, allowed Elmore to score the game's first run. On the same play, Sherrill moved to second, and Peek scored on another error to move the lead to 2-0.

Faust yielded two hits in the bottom of the inning but did not allow a run, and the Abbey tacked on to its lead in the fourth. Savannah Carpenter worked a one out walk, was sacrificed to second by Nikki Faust, and scored on Elmore's single to left.

The game remained 3-0 until the top of the sixth when the Crusaders blew the game open with five runs on five hits and taking advantage of three Coker errors. Nikki Faust, Elmore and Peek all delivered RBI singles, and Kinsey McClure blasted a two-RBI single to right to make the score 8-0.

Down to its final three outs before the run-rule was enforced, Coker kept the game alive by scoring a run off of an Abbey error. Neither team scored in the seventh as the Abbey claimed an 8-1 win.

Faust picked up her first win in the circle to move to 1-4 and also finished one for four with an RBI single. She also scored a run. Elmore finished two for two with two RBI and two runs scored. Lee took the loss to fall to 1-1. She gave up six runs, three earned, on six hits in five and two-thirds innings.

In game two, the Abbey offense gave starting pitcher Emily Self a two-run cushion on a two-run blast to left by Sherrill. Self kept Coker off the board until the fourth when the Cobras tied the game at two using an RBI triple and a sacrifice fly. The Cobras then pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the fifth, scoring an unearned run on an Abbey throwing error to jump ahead 3-2.

The Abbey threatened in the sixth as Sherrill led off with a single and was sacrificed to second, but a groundout and a fielder's choice ended the threat.

Coker put a runner on in the bottom of the sixth but did not score, and the Crusaders threatened again in the top of the seventh, putting two runners on base with nobody out. Kelly Schweizer led off with a single and moved to second on an error. After a pitching change, Elmore moved Schweizer to third and Carpenter to second with a sacrifice. With the go-ahead runners in scoring position, a pair of groundouts ended the game.

Sherrill finished three for three with two RBI and run scored as the Crusaders totaled seven hits. Schweizer collected a pair of hits.

Logan Cox earned the win in six innings of work, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking one. Self went the distance, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits. She did not walk or strikeout a batter. Becky Dillon picked up the save as she recorded all three outs in the ninth.

Game One Box
Game Two Box