Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DUE WEST, S.C. – The King University softball team came into the weekend knowing they needed to finish strong in the regular season to earn a favorable seed in the upcoming Conference Carolinas Tournament. However, the Tornado faced a pair of setbacks on Friday at Erskine College, dropping game one 2-1 and game two 7-4.
Both pitchers were on their game over the first couple frames, only allowing a pair of hits until the Flying Fleet (16-20, 8-6 CC) got on the board in the third inning. Erskine got a run scoring single from Ericka McCarson, and plated another run as King turned a double play to take a 2-0 lead after three.
King (15-23, 9-7 CC) threatened with a pair of runners in the fourth inning, but couldn't push any across. The Tornado cut their deficit in half in the fifth inning when Kelsie Craighead drove in Diamond Callwood with a sacrifice fly. However, Erskine pitcher Danica Newton got the final two outs of the inning, stranding a pair of runners.
King couldn't get anything going over the final two frames as Erskine took the game 2-1. Morgan Lowe threw all six innings for King, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out four. Craighead drove in King's lone run while four Tornado accounted for each of King's four hits.
Erskine grabbed the lead in the first inning of game two on a Lydia Trexler run scoring single, giving the Flying Fleet a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
However, the Tornado answered in the third inning when Samantha Cole started the inning with a double to left center. Following two outs, Chrissy Melcher ripped her eighth home run of the year, giving King a 2-1 lead. Hannah Smith followed with her seventh home run of the year, extending the lead to 3-1 after three.
Lauren Smith stranded a pair of runners in the fourth inning as she induced a double play with the bases loaded to end the frame. King used that momentum in the bottom of the inning as Hannah Smith laced a double to right center that scored Melcher who walked earlier in the inning.
King held their 4-1 lead until the Erskine offense erupted in the sixth inning. The Flying Fleet scored six runs, highlighted by a three-run double from McCarson that gave Erskine the lead. The tacked on two more runs to take a 7-4 lead.
The Tornado couldn't come back in the seventh as Flying Fleet pitcher Candace Finch got the final three outs to give Erskine the 7-4 win.
Lauren Smith started in the circle for King, lasting five and one-thirds innings. She gave up five runs one 13 hits while Lowe tossed the final two-thirds of an innings. Hannah Smith led the offense, going 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and one run scored while Melcher drove in two and scored twice.
King will be in action again on Saturday when they host Belmont Abbey College at 2:00 p.m. It will also be Senior Day at the King Softball Complex.
