The Belmont Abbey softball team closed out the 2013 season with a pair of losses to the visiting King College Tornado, dropping the opener 2-1 and falling 4-0 in the season finale. King clinches the Conference Carolinas regular season title as it moves to 27-24 overall and 15-3 in Conference Carolinas, while the Crusaders end their season with a mark of 10-32 overall and 3-17 in Conference Carolinas.

Freshman pitcher Samantha Jacobs struck out 12 in the opener, including seven of the first nine batters she faced, as the first six outs recorded were Jacobs's strikeouts. She finishes her freshman year with 121.

Senior Emily Self, one of four seniors honored before the game, departed after throwing one pitch. Jacobs then entered the game and struck out the side after allowing a one out single.

The trend continued in the second, as Jacobs struck out the side swinging and began the third with a strikeout before the Tornado touched her for two runs, but just one earned.

Aubrey Hutt reached on a bunt single and stole second. She then scored on a single to center by Cassie Ringstaff. Ringstaff moved all the way to third on the play, racing to second on the throw home and to third when the throw was wild. She then scored the Tornado's second run on a Fallon Thomas single to right.

Belmont Abbey cut the lead in half in the fourth as Nikki Faust led off with a single to left and was sacrificed to second by twin sister Amber Faust. A bunt single by Kaitlyn Jones moved her to third and she scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Shannon Arthur.

That was all of the scoring, as the two pitchers kept the offenses at bay from there. Jacobs and Hannah Light combined to strike out 21 while not issuing a walk. Jacobs fanned 12 while allowing just two runs, one earned, on six hits. Light went the distance, fanning nine while allowing one run on five hits.

Nikki Faust finished with two of the Abbey's five hits. Jones, Becca Rothrock and Carol-Anne Sherrill each had one.

In game two, King scored all four of its runs in the second and Light once again stymied the Crusaders offense to give the Tornado the Conference Carolinas regular season title.

Light worked the first five innings, allowing just three hits while striking out two and walking one. Morgan White held the Abbey to just two hits over the final two scoreless innings. Senior Brittany Southard, in her last collegiate game, gave up four runs, three earned, on three hits in an inning and a third. She struck out one and walked a pair.

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box