The Belmont Abbey softball team nearly gained a split in a doubleheader with the visiting Queens Royals after losing 7-1 in the opener, as the Crusaders tied game two at two in the bottom of the seventh, but the Royals scored twice in the top of the eighth to take both games this afternoon at Crusader Field. Queens improves to 13-18 overall and 3-1 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey drops to 7-21 overall and 1-5 in Conference Carolinas.

"Again, we played well for about 4 or 5 innings, but we have to start playing 7 solid innings," Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "Our pitchers threw pretty well. We had defensive mistakes at costly times. If our pitchers are getting us outs, the defense has to step up and get the job done. We can't expect them to continue to throw more pitches. We hit the ball well. We just didn't string the hits together. Queens played well today. We will be out on the field again tomorrow trying to improve our weaknesses."

In game one, which was delayed ten minutes due to rain, Queens first baseman Kaitlyn Cheek gave the Royals the only runs it would need with a two-run shot to left.

The Abbey threatened in the fourth, as it put runners on second and third with one out, but a lineout double play ended the inning. One inning later, the Abbey broke through and cut the Royals lead to one as Kelly Schweizer led off with a walk, advanced to second on a long flyout to left, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Amber Faust.

Queens fired right back with three runs on three hits in the top of the sixth, scoring runs on an Abbey error, a fielder's choice groundout and a single to center to widen the gap to 5-1.

In the top of the seventh the Royals tacked on two more as Megan Lathbury singled home Chantel Dodge and Emma Schultz. The Crusaders went down in order in the seventh.

Dodge picked up the win as she allowed just one run on seven hits in a complete-game, walking two and striking out one. Nikki Faust was charged with the loss after yielding five runs, four earned, on eight hits in five innings. She walked a pair. Amber Faust and Katie Childers both led the Abbey with two hits apiece as the Crusaders totaled seven. They stranded nine runners on the basepaths.

Queens totaled ten hits as Lathbury, Cheek and Noemi Rodriguez all had two hits. Keeya Turner made nine putouts in leftfield.

In game two, Queens maintained a 2-1 lead until the bottom of the seventh when the Abbey, which had threatened to score but did not in the sixth inning when it had runners on second and third with one out, finally tied the game with one out and had the winning run at third.

Carol-Anne Sherrill led off with a single up the middle. After Dodge came into relieve Jessica Scott, Schweizer sacrificed Sherrill to second. A wild pitch moved her to third. Shannon Arthur fouled off five-straight pitches, and then on the sixth pitch smacked a double to center, scoring Sherrill with the tying run. A flyout by Amber Faust was deep enough for Arthur to move to third, but a popout by Childers sent the game into extra innings.

With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Whitney Britt began the inning on second base, and she moved to third when Turner beat out a bunt single. Schultz broke the tie with a deep flyout to center to plate Britt. The throw into the infield missed the cutoff man, and the error allowed Turner to move to second. Rodriguez extended the lead to a pair with a single to center, allowing the speedy Turner to score without a throw to up the advantage to 4-2. A strikeout ended the game.

In the Abbey's half of the eighth Childers started the inning on second, and she never moved as Dodge set the Crusaders down in order on three strikeouts.

The Crusaders scored the game's first run in the bottom of the third as Amber Faust's flyout was deep enough to score Sherrill, who walked earlier, to score. Queens tied the game in the top of the fourth on a single by Cheek that scored Schultz, and the Royals moved ahead 2-1 one inning later as Turner's single to right plated Britt, who doubled earlier.

The score remained 2-1 until Arthur's contributions in the seventh. One inning earlier, the Abbey had its best chance to tie or take the lead. Childers worked a leadoff walk and was replaced by Kaylie Mae Kuhnke. Brittany Southard moved Kuhnke to second with an opposite field single to left, and both runners moved up one base on Brooke Balilies's sacrifice bunt. With runners on second and third with one out, Chelsea Elmore dribbled a grounder back to Scott, whose throw home beat Kuhnke's tag by a stride to keep the Abbey down one. With runners on first and third, a strikeout ended the inning.

Dodge earned the win in relief as she held the Crusaders to just one hit over two scoreless innings, striking out three. Emily Self went the distance for the Abbey, as she took the loss after giving up four runs, only one earned, on eight hits. She struck out three and did not issue a walk.

The Crusaders totaled nine hits as Southard led the way with three in four at bats. Arthur totaled two. Turner led the Royals with three hits as Queens registered eight.

Game One Box

Game Two Box