BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team handed Erskine College their first Conference Carolinas loss of the season with a 4-1 game one victory on Friday afternoon. However, the Flying Fleet came back to take game two 2-1.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 4, Erskine 1; Erskine 2, King 1
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 24-16, 11-5 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 22-14, 13-1 Conference Carolinas

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

• Jenna Burnett led King with two hits, both doubles and scored two runs.
• Kaycee Casteel recorded a pair of hits and drove in one.
• Hanna Adams and Katie McCann also recorded a pair of hits.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Burnett started a rally with a leadoff double in the second inning. She later scored on a Casteel infield single. Katelyn Davidson scored on a throwing error on the same play, giving King a 2-0 lead.
• The Tornado scored another run on an Erskine defensive miscue to take a 3-0 lead, but King stranded the bases loaded.
• Taylor Payne got Erskine on the board with a sacrifice fly that scored Reagan Davis who doubled earlier in the inning.
• In the sixth, McCann drove in an insurance run with a triple that scored Hanna Adams, putting the Tornado ahead 4-1.
• Leslie Odom made it standup with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to give King the victory.

OF RECORD

Winning Pitcher: Leslie Odom (13-4) 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
Losing Pitcher: Morgan Hendrix (11-4) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• Erskine started the game with back-to-back singles. The Flying Fleet double steal then put runners on second and third with no outs.
• Tornado pitcher Emma Hughes then got three straight outs to keep the game scoreless.
• King threatened with a pair of runners in the second inning, but couldn't push any runs across.
• Erskine grabbed a 2-0 lead with a pair of run-scoring doubles from Sydney Smith and Payne in the third inning.
• King responded in the bottom of the third as Kay Brokering ripped a sacrifice fly that scored Candace Maness, cutting the deficit in half.
• The score remained the same until the seventh inning when a Casteel double put runners on second and third with one out.
• However, the Flying Fleet made a pitching change, bringing Morgan Hendrix in.
• She got a strikeout and flyout to end the game and give Erskine the 2-1 win.

OF RECORD

Winning Pitcher: Hannah Houge (7-5) 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Emma Hughes (4-7) 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Save: Morgan Hendrix (1) 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

FOR THE FOES

• Brittany Reynolds, Smith and Davis all recorded two hits on the day for Erskine.
• Smith also scored a pair of runs and Payne drove in two.

UP NEXT

• King hosts Emmanuel College Saturday in a Conference Carolinas doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m. Saturday will also be senior day.
• Erskine travels to Lees-McRae College on Saturday.