The Belmont Abbey softball team split a doubleheader with the visiting Erskine College Flying Fleet, dropping the opener 9-0 and rallying to win the nightcap 6-4 to keep its slim Conference Carolinas Tournament hopes alive. The Abbey is now 11-33 overall and 4-14 in Conference Carolinas, while Erskine moves to 17-19 overall and 13-7 in Conference Carolinas.

"I was real proud of the way we bounced back the second game," Head Coach Ellie Hanover said. "That was the best adjustment from one game to the next that we've made all year. Erskine is a very good team. I hope we can take that energy up to Banner Elk on Saturday."

Game one was a 3-0 contest until Erskine exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh, using a bases loaded double by Ashlyn Hicks that scored three runs, and a two-RBI double by Kelsey Spurrier. Morgan Purcell added an RBI single. The Crusaders went down in order in the seventh.

Spurrier picked up the win in the circle after tossing a complete-game three hit shutout, striking out four and walking two. Emily Self was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits in six innings, striking out two.

Purcell, Hicks and Lindsay Waters led the Fleet offense with three hits apiece as Erskine totaled 14. Amber Faust, Aleisha Peek and Kinsey McClure had one hit apiece for the Abbey.

In game two the Abbey charged out to a 6-0 lead and held off a late Erskine rally to gain the split. Katie Childers blasted a three-run homer in the second to stake the Abbey toa 3-0 lead, and Shannon Arthur made it 6-0 one inning later with a bases clearing double.

Erskine pulled one back in the fifth on an RBI single by Whitney Brown, and the game remained 6-1 until the top of the sixth when the Flying Fleet made things interesting. The Abbey edge shrank to 6-3 on a pair of Crusader errors on the same play, and an RBI single by Bailey Thornton closed the lead to 6-4.

A walk by Self, who entered the game to face Thornton, loaded the bases with two outs, but Brown grounded out to third to end the game.

Nikki Faust picked up the win in six and two-thirds innings of work, allowing four runs, one earned, on nine hits. She struck out six and did not walk a batter. Self earned the save. Katherine Mulzer was charged with the loss after giving up six runs, four earned, on four hits in two and one-thirds innings of work.

Peek led the Crusaders with two hits. Childers and Arthur both drove in three runs on their only hits of the game.

Game One Box

Game Two Box