The Belmont Abbey softball team suffered a pair of defeats to the visiting Coker Cobras this afternoon, dropping the opener 3-2 and falling in the nightcap 3-0. Coker improves to 15-7 overall and 8-2 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey drops to 4-14 overall and 1-3 in league play.

In the opener, Samantha Jacobs struck out ten, but the Cobras touched her for three runs after the Crusaders claimed the early lead. Belmont Abbey struck first in the second inning as Amber Faust led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Emily Self and scored on a single to right center by Kaitlyn Jones.

One inning later Coker evened the game on a Dallas Sweat RBI single, and the Cobras added single runs in the fourth and fifth to move ahead 3-1.

The Crusaders mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh as Carol-Anne Sherrill and Hannah Bright led off with singles, but a 5-3 double play groundout negated Sherrill at third but it allowed Bright to move to second. Faust cut the lead to one on an RBI single, scoring Bright, who just beat the tag, to close the lead to 3-2. One batter later, the potential tying run was cut down at the plate, ending the game, as Self reached on an infield single to shortstop. Self beat the throw, but Faust raced home, but she was cut down at the plate, as the throw beat her by a step, ending the game.

Lauren Phillips earned the win for the Cobras as she gave up two runs on eight hits. She did not record a strikeout. Jacobs fanned ten as she gave up three runs on five hits. She issued three walks.

Bright led the Abbey with three hits in four at bats.

In game two, Coker scored one in the first and added two more in the third to produce the only runs of the game. In the first, Stacy Burr singled home Sarah Rountree. Two innings later, Bryant McLendon delivered an RBI single and Burr later scored on a wild pitch.

Breanna Skipper went the distance for the Cobras, as she tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits. She fanned four and walked one. Nikki Faust took the loss after yielding three runs on eight hits, walking six and striking out one. Jacobs worked the seventh, allowing one hit and fanning one. Self and Nikki Faust had the only two Crusader hits.

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box