NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (March 8, 2026) – The King's College softball team opened the 2026 season with a split on Sunday at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Monarchs defeated NJCU, 15-0, in the opener before falling to Penn State Harrisburg, 6-1, in the second game. The results move King's to 1-1 on the season.
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Game 1 – W, 15-0 vs. NJCU

King's wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Kara Krouse reached after being hit by a pitch, stole second, and advanced to third on a single from Breanna Goldspiel before Paige Bergan brought her home with a groundout to give the Monarchs an early 1-0 lead.

The Monarchs broke the game open in the second inning, plating six runs on five hits. Colleen Shuler highlighted the frame with a two-RBI triple to left field before Krouse added an RBI single. Later in the inning, Ellie Higdon delivered a two-run double and Meghan Marianelli followed with an RBI single to extend the King's advantage to 7-0.

King's continued to build momentum in the third inning, scoring seven more runs to stretch the lead to 14-0. Shuler opened the frame with her second triple of the game before scoring on an error. The Monarchs capitalized on several NJCU miscues while Megan Matsko delivered a two-RBI double and Shuler added an RBI single later in the inning.

The Monarchs added their final run in the fourth inning when Higdon singled through the left side to score Krouse and push the lead to 15-0. King's closed out the game in the top half of the fifth.

Krouse paced the offense with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, scoring four runs and adding an RBI while swiping two stolen bases. Shuler also went 3-for-3 with two triples and three RBIs, while Higdon finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Matsko added a double and two RBIs as King's totaled 12 hits in the contest.

In the circle, Madisyn vonFrisch earned the win after tossing a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out two over 5.0 innings of work.
 
Game 2 – L, 6-1 vs. Penn State Harrisburg

King's and Penn State Harrisburg were scoreless through the first two innings, with both teams searching for early momentum. Penn State broke through in the third inning, taking advantage of a string of walks and an RBI single to plate two runs and open a 2-0 lead. King's threatened to cut the deficit multiple times, but was unable to capitalize, leaving multiple runners on base.

The Monarchs got on the board in the sixth inning when Elise Larson singled to left field, bringing home Ellie Higdon and cutting the lead to 2-1. Despite the effort, Penn State added four runs in the seventh inning, using hits and a pair of errors to extend the lead to 6-1. The Lions lead had grown too large as the Monarchs were unable to make the comeback in the home half of the seventh.

Offensively, King's was paced by Larson, who went 1-for-3 with the lone RBI, while Higdon scored the team's only run. Brianna Kesslick added a hit and Goldspiel drew three walks to reach base multiple times. The Monarchs totaled three hits and four walks in the contest.

In the circle, Alyssa Fox was charged with the loss after tossing a complete game, allowing six hits and five earned runs while striking out six over seven innings of work.

The Monarchs return to the field on Monday, March 9 as they take on the University of Valley Forge at 9:00 a.m. before facing off against Thiel College at 2:00 p.m. in the third and fourth games of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.