NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (March 10, 2026)— The King's College softball team split its third day at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic, defeating Martin Luther, 10–2, in the opening game before falling to Penn State Abington, 10–3, on Tuesday afternoon. The win and the loss moves the Monarchs to 4-2 overall on the season.

Game 1 – W, 10-2 vs. Martin Luther (6 Inn.)

Martin Luther struck first in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead after stealing home in a first and third situation. King's answered in the bottom half of the frame when Megan Matsko and Colleen Shuler opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position, Brianna Kesslick brought home Matsko on a groundout to second, evening the score at 1-1.

Martin Luther regained the lead in the third inning after an error allowed a run to score, giving the Knights a 2-1 advantage.

King's responded in a big way in the fourth inning. Makenzie Johnson drew a leadoff walk before Breanna Goldspiel and Ellie Higdon each recorded singles to load the bases. Paige Bergan tied the game with an RBI on a fielder's choice before Meghan Marianelli delivered a two-run single to center field to give the Monarchs their first lead of the game. Later in the inning, Matsko added an RBI single to extend the advantage to 5-2.

The Monarchs added four more runs in the fifth inning to take control. Higdon started the scoring with an RBI double to left field before Bergan followed with an RBI single. Matsko then capped the rally with a two-run double to center field, pushing the King's lead to 9-2.

King's sealed the victory in the sixth inning as Skylar Mercado drew a leadoff walk and later scored on Bergan's third RBI of the game to bring the final score to 10-2.

Offensively, Matsko led the Monarchs with a perfect 4-for-4 performance and three RBIs. Bergan also had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Higdon added two hits and an RBI. Marianelli finished with two hits and two RBIs as King's recorded 16 hits as a team.

In the circle, Alyssa Fox earned the win, allowing two runs with one earned on three hits while striking out one across six innings. Fox was efficient throughout the outing, retiring 10 of the final 11 batters she faced to close out the victory.
 
Game 2 – L, 10-3 vs. Penn State Abington

Penn State Abington took an early lead in the first inning, scoring three runs on three hits. The inning opened with a double to center field before a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third. A triple to left field brought home the first run of the game, and an RBI double followed to extend the lead. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded walk pushed the advantage to 3-0 in favor of Abington.

King's responded in the bottom of the second inning to even the score at three apiece. Elise Larson led off with a single before Megan Matsko delivered a two-run triple to left field to bring the Monarchs within one. Kara Krouse then followed with a bunt single that allowed Matsko to score, tying the game at 3-3.

Penn State Abington regained control in the fourth inning, scoring six runson six hits to take a 9-3 lead. The rally began with a leadoff single before a pair of base hits loaded the bases. An RBI single gave the visitors the lead before an error in the outfield allowed another run to score. A two-run single later in the inning extended the deficit, and the inning's final run came home on a wild pitch as the lead grew to 9-3.

The Nittany Lions added an insurance run in the seventh inning. After a hit and an error put runners in scoring position, a sacrifice fly brought home the final run of the game to put Abington up 10-3. The lead was too large for the Monarchs to overcome in the seventh as Abington closed out the 10-3 win.

Matsko led the Monarchs offensively with two hits and two RBIs, including a triple. Krouse also finished with two hits and an RBI, while Larson recorded a hit and scored a run.

In the circle, Madisyn vonFrisch took the loss in 3.2 innings of work while Alyssa Fox provided strong relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit while walking two across 3.1 innings.

The Monarchs return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 11, taking on Pfeiffer University at 9:00 a.m. before facing SUNY Canton at 1:00 p.m. in their seventh and eighth games of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.