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DAHLONEGA, GA – A trio of errors in game one and a trio of home runs in game two proved to be the down fall of the Francis Marion University softball team as the Patriots dropped a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader to 11th-ranked North Georgia College & State University, 4-1 and 9-4, on Thursday evening (April 19).
Francis Marion concludes its regular season with a 31-19 record and finishes eighth in the PBC standings at 8-12. The Patriots will face top-seeded and sixth-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the third game of the PBC Tournament. The single-elimination event will be hosted by Columbus State University.
In the opening game, three FMU miscues over the opening two innings led to three unearned runs by the Saints (43-7). North Georgia maintained that advantage until the top of the sixth inning when FMU closed to within 3-1. Senior second baseman Ashley Jaramillo led off the frame with a single, moved to third on a North Georgia infield error, and then scored on an RBI fielder's choice grounder off the bat of junior third baseman Tristan Faile.
However, the Saints responded with an RBI double by Kayla Minger in the bottom of the inning to restore the three-run cushion at 4-1.
Sophomore righty Taylor Luff (9-7) was tagged with the loss despite pitching well. She surrendered only six hits, one earned run, struck out six, and walked only one.
Jaramillo had three of FMU's six hits in game one.
Jessica Coan (22-6) was the winning pitcher as she recorded 11 strikeouts.
In the nightcap, a two-out solo homer by catcher Hilary Cox staked the Saints to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. In the next half inning, Francis Marion rallied with two runs to take the lead. Sophomore outfielder Jazz Holliday and Faile drilled back-to-back triples. Faile later scored when senior center fielder Destinea Schneider got caught in a rundown between first and second base.
North Georgia tied the score in the third and then tallied six runs in the bottom of the fourth to claim an 8-2 advantage. The six runs came on a two-run homer by Pilar Harden and a grand slam by Katherine Martin.
FMU got two of the runs back in the sixth as Faile doubled home Holliday and Jaramillo, but that would be as close as the Patriots would get. Faile, Holliday, and sophomore outfielder Sara Broderick all registered two hits in the second contest.
Senior right-hander Kayla Ellingsen (11-7) took the loss as she allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits in three innings.
#11 North Georgia 4, Francis Marion 1 (Apr 19, 2012 at Dahlonega, Ga.) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 000 001 0 - 1 6 3 (31-18, 8-11 PBC)
North Georgia....... 120 001 X - 4 6 2 (42-7, 16-3 PBC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Taylor Luff and Olivia Ferguson. North Georgia - J. Coan and H. Cox.
Win-J. Coan(23-6) Loss-Taylor Luff(9-7) T-1:45 A-268
Weather: 60 degrees, partly cloudy
#11 North Georgia 9, Francis Marion 4 (Apr 19, 2012 at Dahlonega, Ga.) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 020 002 0 - 4 7 3 (31-19, 8-12 PBC)
North Georgia....... 101 601 X - 9 11 1 (43-7, 17-3 PBC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Kayla Ellingsen; Taylor Luff(4) and Krissy Longstreet.
North Georgia - M. Dickie; J. Coan(6) and H. Cox.
Win-M. Dickie(17-0) Loss-Kayla Ellingsen(11-7) T-2:07 A-0
HR NGCSU - P. Harden; H. Cox; K. Martin.
Weather: 59 Degrees, Overcast
Ellingsen faced 4 batters in the 4th.
M. Dickie faced 1 batter in the 6th.
