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FLORENCE, SC-  The Francis Marion University softball team picked up two season-opening wins in differing fashion over Chowan University, 2-0 and 6-5, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 4) in the inaugural Swamp Fox Classic  at the Freedom Florence Complex.

The Swamp Fox Classic will conclude on Sunday (Feb. 5) when FMU squares off against Virginia State University at noon and the University of Charleston (W.V) at 2 p.m.  Chowan (0-2) will also play again on Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. 

FMU sophomore center fielder Sara Broderick finished the twinbill 5-for-8 with a run scored, while senior second baseman Ashley Jaramillo was 4-for-8 with two runs scored, and a run batted in.

In the opener, FMU (2-0) rode the right arm of senior Kayla Ellingsen (1-0) who tossed a three-hit shutout, while striking out three Hawks and walking only one. 

The Patriots, playing as the visiting team for the first game, didn't waste any time putting a run on the board in the top of the first when junior third baseman Tristan Faile doubled into the left field gap to score junior Olivia Ferguson from second.  FMU had a chance to expand their lead but left two runners on base in both the first and second frames.

Francis Marion doubled its lead in the fifth inning to 2-0 when Jaramillo took Hawks starter Alora Lincoln's (0-1) pitch and singled into left field, driving in Broderick who had just stolen third base earlier in the at-bat.  The Hawks then went down in order in the final two innings to close the game.

In the nightcap, it was the Hawks who took the early advantage.  Chowan put up a tally in the second, and another in the third when Alex Allen scored on an error before FMU freshman righty Katie Carnes (1-0) limited the damage by stranding a runner on second base.

The Patriots answered the Hawks quickly, pushing across three runs in the bottom of the third inning, highlighted by Carnes' RBI-base hit back through the middle.  FMU extended its lead to 5-2 with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to a two-out Chowan error on which both sophomore Olivia Zielinski and Faile scored.

Chowan used a three-spot in the top of the sixth inning – highlighted by a 2-run single from Megan Bass and Kayla Brady scoring on an error – to knot the score at 5-5.  It was Carnes again coming up big however for FMU in the bottom of the sixth as she reached on a two-out error by Chowan at first base allowing Jaramillo to come around to score the eventually winning run.  The tally came after it was ruled the Hawks' first basemen had pulled her foot off the bag.

Carnes allowed a small rally in the top of the seventh before she slammed the door on the Hawks, stranding runners at first and third to close out her complete-game performance.  She scattered five hits and struck out four.