FLORENCE, SC - Senior left-hander Michaela Wolf returned to
action after a nearly two-week layoff and tossed a three-hit
shutout, while freshman first baseman Meghan Heiser knocked in four
runs as Francis Marion University swept a Peach Belt Conference
softball doubleheader from Columbus State University on Wednesday
afternoon (March 10), winning 8-0 in six innings and 7-4.
Francis Marion ups its overall record to 15-7 and is 7-5 in the
Peach Belt, while CSU drops to 9-14-1 and 0-2. FMU will host
the Patriot Invitational Tournament this Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday at Freedom Florence.
Wolf (9-3) allowed only three singles in game one, while
striking out six. CSU righty Kristi Bullard (5-6) allowed
seven runs (four earned) in five innings and was tagged with the
loss.
FMU freshman catcher Olivia Ferguson recorded her first
collegiate hits, going 2-for-3, including a two-run triple to right
center field in the fifth inning. Heiser delivered a two-run
single in the bottom of the first inning as the Patriots grabbed an
early lead.
Wolf made that 2-0 advantage stand up until FMU plated three
runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings.
Catcher Rocky Hemmer had two of Columbus State's three hits in
the opener.
Junior right-hander Cea Knox (6-3) started the second contest
for Francis Marion. She pitched six shutout innings, allowing
the four CSU runs all in the fifth frame. She struck out
five, and also went 1-for-3 at the plate.
Heiser, right fielder Chelle Phillips, and shortstop Jessica
Hogan all had two hits for FMU in game two. Senior left
fielder Jessica Birchmeier and sophomore second baseman Ashley
Jaramillo blasted back-to-back solo homers on consecutive pitches
to lead off the second inning.
Jaramillo also helped Knox with a diving stop of grounder hit up
the middle in the third inning. She flipped the ball with her
glove while sprawled on the ground to Hogan at second base for a
force out that ended the frame and stranded two runners on base.
Francis Marion built a 6-0 lead until the Cougars scored four
times in the fifth. FMU then added an insurance run in the
sixth inning.
Hemmer was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the second
contest. Left-side infielders Brittany Leverett and Carrie
Jones were both 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bullard, as the
designated player in game two, plated the other two Cougar runs
with a fifth-inning double.
Britni McCall (4-6) took the loss for CSU.
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Columbus State Univ. 0
(Mar 10, 2010 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Columbus State Univ. 000 000 - 0 3
3 (9-13-1, 0-1 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 200 033 -
8 7 2 (14-7, 6-5
PBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Columbus State Univ. - Kristi Bullard; Kelsey
Gilliam(6). Francis Marion Univ. -
Michaela Wolf.
Win-Michaela Wolf(9-3) Loss-Kristi
Bullard(5-6) T-1:55 A-113
Bullard faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Francis Marion Univ. 7, Columbus State Univ. 4
(Mar 10, 2010 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Columbus State Univ. 000 040 0 - 4 11
0 (9-14-1, 0-2 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 021 301 X - 7
11 1 (15-7, 7-5 PBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Columbus State Univ. - Britni McCall; Courtney
Darr(4). Francis Marion Univ. -
Cea Knox.
Win-Cea Knox(6-3) Loss-Britni McCall(4-6)
T-2:33 A-0
HR FMU - Jessica Birchmeier (2); Ashley Jaramillo
(1).
Meghan Heiser
