Due West, SC – Southern Wesleyan swept away the Erskine Flying Fleet on Thursday afternoon. The Warriors took game one in a 5-1 final before shutting out the Flying Fleet in game two in a 15-0 final.
The Warriors picked up nine hits in the game one victory over the Flying Fleet. Olivia Haag and Maddie Crouch each had two hits. Reagan Fulcher homered and Abby Schreiner hit a double. Southern Wesleyan walked five times. Haag pitched all seven innings and struck out seven batters.
Southern Wesleyan totaled 13 hits in their second game of the series. Chloe Smith and Madison Gantt each homered in the game. The other extra base hits of the game came in the form of doubles off the bats of Marissa Moreland and Olivia Haag. The Warriors walked five times and stole six bases. Megan Ware stole three bases. Emily Collins started game two in the circle and struck out two batters in the three innings she pitched. Bailey Throckmorton and Harley Hoffman each pitched one inning while striking out one batter each.
Game Vitals
Game One Final: Southern Wesleyan 5, Erskine 1
Game Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 15, Erskine 0
Records: Southern Wesleyan (25-11 / CC 13-4) Erskine (9-22 / CC 7-10)
How It Happened
Game One
Southern Wesleyan was first on the board as with one out in the top of the first inning, Reagan Fulcher sent the third pitch she saw over the fence for a solo home run.
The Warriors extended their lead in the second inning. Abby Lawson led off the inning by hitting a single to center field. Lawson advanced to second as Maddie Crouch walked. Megan Ware laid down a sacrifice bunt to allow both Crouch and Lawson to advance a base. With Sarah Woody pinch running for Lawson, Marissa Moreland hit a sacrifice fly out to center field to bring Woody in to score the Warriors second run of the game.
Southern Wesleyan brought a couple more runs in to score in the third inning. With one out, Chloe Smith hit a single to left field and then advanced to second as Olivia Haag singled. Abby Schriener then fouled out to the catcher, but as the catcher looked to pick Smith off of second base, she threw the ball into center field, allowing both Smith and Haag to come in to score.
The Warriors were not done as they extended their lead once again in the top of the seventh inning. Rebecca Lamb led off the inning by reaching on a walk. However, with Chalee Roper pinch running for Lamb, Chloe Smith hit into a fielder's choice that took Roper off the bases. Olivia Haag followed by hitting a single into center field to allow Smith to advance to second. Abby Schreiner sent the ball into right field for a double that allowed Smith to come in to score.
Erskine was able to get on the board in the bottom of the inning as Gabby Burroughs hit a solo shot over the center field fence. However, Olivia Haag and the Warriors defense were able to prevent the Flying Fleet from cutting further into their lead. The Warriors went on to win the first game in a 5-1 final.
Game Two
The Warriors attacked the plate in the top of the first inning in game two. Marissa Moreland reached first after the Flying Fleet made an error at shortstop. Moreland advanced to second base on the error, and then advanced to third as Reagan Fulcher ground out. Rebecca Lamb hit a sacrifice fly to center field to allow Moreland to come in to score the first run of the game.
Southern Wesleyan extended their lead in the top of the second inning. Olivia Haag led off the inning by hitting a double to right center field. Haag then stole third to put her within sixty feet of home. Abby Schreiner put the ball in play and reached first after an error occurred at short stop. Haag came in to score on the play. A ground out by Maddie Crouch allowed Schreiner to advance to second and then a passed ball put Schreiner on third. Megan Ware hit a single to left field to bring Schreiner in to score. Ware then stole both second and third bases. Riley Brown walked and then stole second. With two runners in scoring position, Marissa Moreland hit a sacrifice fly to right field to allow Ware to come in to score and put the Warriors on top 4-0.
The Warriors picked up from where they left off in the third inning. With one out, Chloe Smith hit a solo home run. Olivia Haag followed with a single and then advanced to second as Abby Schreiner hit a single into left field. A wild pitch allowed both Haag and Schreiner to advance. On a wild pitch on ball four to Maddie Crouch, Haag came in to score and Schreiner advanced to third. Megan Ware then hit a single to center field to allow both Schreiner and Crouch to come in to score and extend the Warriors lead to 8-0. Ware stole second and then advanced to third as Riley Brown ground out to second base. Marissa Moreland came up to bat and sent the fifth pitch she saw to left center field for a double that brought Ware in to score the Warriors ninth run of the game.
In the fourth inning, the Warriors extended their lead in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Madison Gantt came in to pinch hit and sent the first pitch she saw over the outfield fence for her first collegiate home run. Gabby Smith then hit a single into left field and stole second base. Taylor Evans and Kassie Swink each walked to load up the bases for Abby Lawson. Lawson sent the ball into left field for a single that brought Gabby Smith in to score. With the bases full of Warriors, Brandy Smith walked to bring Evans across home plate. An error by the catcher allowed Swink to come in to score. Haley Thornsberry hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Lawson across home plate. A wild pitch allowed Brandy Smith to come in and score the Warriors final run of the game. Southern Wesleyan walked away with a 15-0 run victory over Erskine.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will host the Erskine Flying Fleet on April 7 in a double header beginning at 2pm. They will then host their final home series of the season on April 10 as they welcome the Ferrum College Panthers to Varsity Field. The Warriors will travel to Young Harris, Ga on April 11 to take on the Young Harris Mountain Lions for the second time this season.
