BELMONT, N.C. – The Belmont Abbey softball team earned a pair of key Conference Carolinas wins with a doubleheader sweep over Southern Wesleyan Thursday afternoon at Crusader Field.
The Crusaders opened the day with a 7-2 victory before rallying for an 8-3 win in the second game. The doubleheader was moved up a day due to forecasted inclement weather for Friday.
Mackenzie Sprinkle had five this on the day for the Crusaders, including the go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning in the second game.
Adison Yoder earned a pair of complete-game wins in the circle for The Abbey and is now 9-7 on the season.
Belmont Abbey improves to 13-21 overall, 8-10 in the league. Southern Wesleyan is 3-35, 1-19 in the league.
GAME 1
- The Crusaders got off to a fast start with a three-run first inning highlighted by a two-run home run from Bailey Presley. The long ball was the first career home run for the junior center fielder.
- The Warriors scored twice in the third inning but The Abbey responded with an RBI double and RBI single from Sprinkle and Trinity Wall.
- Hallie Mele capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the sixth inning.
- Four Crusaders finished with multiple hits in the opener: Sprinkle had three while Mele, Sydney Pon and Ruthie Allen had two each.
- Yoder allowed just three hits and one walk in the Game 1 win.
GAME 2
- Southern Wesleyan took an early 3-1 lead through the first two innings.
- The lone run for the Crusaders in that stretch came from an RBI single by Sprinkle in the bottom of the first inning.
- Belmont Abbey rallied to tie the game in the fifth with Yoder helping her own cause with a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single from Mackenzie Allison to tie the game.
- The Crusaders broke the game open with a five-run outburst in the sixth inning.
- Sprinkle's two-run single gave The Abbey the lead before Allison hit a bases-clearing double to help put the game away.
- Belmont Abbey sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning.
- Yoder finished the doubleheader with 168 pitches over the two games and had two hits in the second game.
UP NEXT
- The Crusaders play their final nonconference series of the season against Tusculum beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Crusader Field.
- Four seniors will be honored as part of Senior Day festivities.