BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Casey Laing tallied four hits and
Ava Elkins added three, but King swept a Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader from Belmont Abbey Saturday afternoon. The Tornado won the first game 10-1 in five innings before taking the nightcap 3-1.
With the results, the Crusaders fall to 14-14 overall and 1-5 in league play, while King improves to 19-9, 6-0.
THE OPENER
- Belmont Abbey tallied six hits in the contest -- three (in three at-bats) by Laing, two by Elkins and one by McKenna Meadors. Laing and Elkins both doubled.
- King opened a 10-0 lead with two in the first, six in the second and two more in the third.
- The Crusaders scored its run, unearned, on a sacrifice fly by Maddie Phillips.
- Starter Lilly Hartsell (7-6) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) in 1.0 innings pitched. She allowed just two hits and a walk, but hit two batters against two Ks.
THE NIGHTCAP
- Laing was one of four Crusaders to register a hit, a first-inning single.
- Sage Farmer, Phillips and Elkins also safely reached first.
- The Crusaders scored their run in the fifth on a single by Phillips in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 3-1. She plated pinch runner Emily Gilchrist, who replaced Lily Garnett-Brown after a walk.
- Meadors (4-1) took the loss despite allowing jus one earned run in a complete-game effort. She walked four and struck out three.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey returns home for an eight-game homestand.
- The action kicks off on Tuesday against Lees-McRae.
