BELMONT, N.C. – The Golden Eagle softball team concluded their season opening weekend on the road on Saturday, falling in a pair of contests to Belmont Abbey. The Crusaders won the first game 5-2 and the second game 8-0, dealing a pair of losses to Clarion (0-4).
 
Game 1: Belmont Abbey 5, Clarion 2
Recap: The Golden Eagles took a 2-1 lead midway through the contest, scoring runs in the third and fourth innings to briefly hold the advantage over the Crusaders. Belmont Abbey scored their first run of the game on a double-steal, giving them a 1-0 advantage in the second inning. Beka McClymonds matched them in the next half-inning, swatting a solo home run over the right field fence to knot it up.
 
The lead came in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a string of offensive success. Allison Gilliam led off the inning with a single to right center, and Desi Allen bunted her over to second with a well-executed sacrifice. Brooke Cline followed with an infield single to shortstop as Gilliam was held at second, but Brooke McCanna brought her around with a double to deep left center. That put Cline on third with one out, but the Golden Eagles could not scratch out another run in the inning.
 
The Crusaders responded with two runs in the home half of the fourth, with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly putting them ahead by a 3-2 score. Clarion managed just two more hits the rest of the game as Belmont Abbey closed out the win.
 
Game 2: Belmont Abbey 8, Clarion 0 (5 inn.)
Recap: The second game quickly went the way of the Crusaders, with Belmont Abbey hanging five runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead. Payton Whitley hit the first of her two home runs of the day in that frame, a three-run shot that scored Emma Frye and Hallie Mele. Whitley added a solo shot in the fifth inning.
 
Clarion's best chance to score came when they put runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. Tori Martrano reached on an infield single to shortstop, and Billie Aguglia followed that up by reaching on an error at shortstop. Alyssa Stitt hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning. The Crusaders tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game.
  Read Full Article