Erskine Hands Valkyries Twinbill Loss

Erskine Hands Valkyries Twinbill Loss

SPARTANBURG, S.C.- Converse fell to the visting Erskine Fleet in Conference Carolinas doubleheader softball action, 8-0 (6) and 6-2, on Wednesday afternoon at Tyger River Park.  Converse drops to 6-14 on the season and 1-5 in league play.  Erskine improves to 18-8 on the season and remains perfect at 8-0 in league play.

Shelby Bullock (Horseshoe Beach, Fla.) picked up three hits and a RBI to lead the Valkyries at the plate.  Marissa Steadman (Roebuck, S.C.) was dealt two losses in the circle pitching 12.0 innings picking up five strikeouts in the twinbill loss.

Converse heads on the road to face Barton and Mount Olive in Conference Carolinas action on Saturday and Sunday, March 19-20 respectively.

Game One: Converse 0, Erskine 8 (6 innings)

Erskine started off the contest with a double to right center.  The Fleet moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt.  Erskine would post the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly in foul territory for the early 1-0 lead.

Shelby Bullock singled to right field with one out in the bottom of the second and moved to second on a passed ball but was left stranded.

Maddison Lukens (Chandler, Ariz.) picked up a two-out single in the bottom of the third and swiped second before being stranded at second.

Converse had a chance to knot things at 1-all in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kelsie Land (Keller, Texas) started off the inning getting hit by the pitch.  Makaylah Plemmons (Union County, S.C.) pinch ran for Land.  Bullock doubled into the right center gap to give Converse runners at second and third with one out.  Savanna Fain (Inman, S.C.) hit a fly ball to right but the throw home doubled up the Valkyries to end the threat.

Erskine capitalized on the Converse miscue scoring four runs with two outs to move out in front 5-0 in the top of the fifth.

The Fleet extended their lead to 8-0 in the top of the sixth inning.  Erskine started the inning with a long ball.  Another Valkyrie error allowed two more runs to score for the Fleet to lead 8-0.

Kelsie Land drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth inning followed by Anna Bennett's (Fulton, Md.) single to center field.  Both runners moved up sixty feet on the passed ball but was left stranded after a fly out to end the inning.

Game Two: Converse 2, Erskine 6

Erskine used the Valkyries two errors in the top of the second inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead.

Savanna Fain picked up the first hit for the Valkyries in the bottom of the second with a single down the left field line.

Morgan Marlow (Murrells Inlet, S.C.) drew a walk in the bottom of the third inning and moved up sixty feet on a fielding error by the Erskine shortstop off the bat of Maddisen Lukens (Chandler, Ariz.).  Marlow and Lukens were left stranded on the bags.

Erskine tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning to push out in front 6-0.

The Valkyries cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Bri Putnam (Chesnee, S.C.) singled to left field with one out.  Makaylah Plemmons sacrificed Putnam over to second before Morgan Marlow reached first on a dropped pop up by the pitcher scoring Putnam.

Tristan Harvey (Anacoco, La.) started the rally in the bottom of the sixth with an infield single to shortstop.  Harvey moved to second on a passed ball before Shelby Bullock singled up the middle bringing Harvey around to score to cut the deficit to 6-2.

Both teams failed to score in the seventh as the Fleet took game two 6-2.