DUE WEST, S.C. -- Belmont Abbey established season highs for runs with 17 and hits with 21 in the first game of Saturday's Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader at Erskine, leading to a split with the Flying Fleet. The Crusaders took the opener 17-14 in eight innings before dropping the second game 7-0.
The split leaves The Abbey at 19-19 overall and 6-10 in league play, while Erskine improves to 7-27, 3-13.
THE OPENER
- Five players registered multi-hit games, led by freshman Payton Colbert. She drove in three runs, while scoring twice. Casey Laing, McKenna Meadors and Trinity Wall had three hits each, while Ivy Holley had two.
- Laing hit a three-run home run in the sixth, turning a 7-6 lead into 10-6. However, Erskine homered twice and had an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to force extra innings.
- Belmont Abbey was down 5-1 after three innings, but struck for six runs in the fourth.
- In the eighth, the Crusaders sent 10 batters to the plate, plating seven on six hits. Sami Kirk and Vicki Lott each had two-run singles during the outburst.
- Kayla Milam earned the win to improve to 3-4 on the season. She threw two innings of relief, striking out two.
THE NIGHTCAP
- After the offensive prowess in the opener, Belmont Abbey was limited to just two hits in the nightcap.
- The Crusaders were hitless through 5.2 innings when Meadors singled to right field. Wall singled to right as well in the top of the seventh.
- Meadors took the loss, allowing three runs over the first three innings. She struck out a season-high four batters.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey continues an eight-game road swing on Tuesday at Lees-McRae.
- The Crusaders swept a pair from their Northwest Division rivals at home on March 25.
