BELMONT, N.C. -- Payton Whitley homered two and drove in the five runs and Abby Craver earned a pair of wins -- one in relief and one as a starter -- leading Belmont Abbey to a sweep of Clarion in softball action Saturday at Crusader Field. The Crusaders won the opener 5-2 before taking the nightcap 8-0 in five innings.

The wins were the fifth and six straight to open the year for The Abbey (6-0), while Clarion falls to 0-4 after a weekend in the Carolinas.

Whitley went 4-for-7 in the two games, homering and scoring three runs

THE OPENER

• Sydney Pon and Cameron Cooper also had a pair of hits and the Crusaders totaled eight in the contest. Cooper delivered run-scoring singles in both the fourth and the fifth with the former tying the game at 2-2.
• The Abbey opened the scoring in the second with a double steal, but Clarion tallied single runs in the third and fourth for a 2-1 lead.
• Kellee Branham put BAC ahead for good with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth.
• Craver, the third pitcher of the game, pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. She allowed just two hits, while fanning a pair.

THE NIGHTCAP

• Belmont Abbey also recorded eight hits in the second game, with Craver joining Whitley with a pair.
• The Crusaders erupted for five runs in the first inning. After a walk and hit to started the game, Whitley homered for a 3-0 lead. An error and fielder's choice added to the damage
• A three-run fifth ended the contest early. Whitley led off with her second blast of the game -- third of the season -- before Craver doubled. After a strikeout/wild pitch, Cooper doubled to make the second 7-0. One out later, Gass lined a pitch down the first-base line to plate Cooper.
• Craver (4-0) allowed just three hits, registering another two strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey hits the road for the first time in 2022 with a trip to St. Andrews on Thursday.
• The doubleheader begins at 12 noon.