AMERICUS, GA  – Freshman catcher Chelsea Welty homered in both games to help power Francis Marion University to a doubleheader split with Georgia Southwestern State University, Saturday afternoon (March 12) in Peach Belt Conference softball action.  Welty's two-out solo shot in the top of the fifth broke a 1-1 deadlock and propelled FMU to a 2-1 game-two win after the Hurricanes took the opener 3-1.

Francis Marion (19-9, 4-4) will play a twinbill at Barton College on Monday at 2 p.m.  The Patriots have split each of their past two conference doubleheaders.  Georgia Southwestern State moves to 18-14 and 3-3.

Welty now leads the team with six homers and 21 runs batted in.

Sophomore right-hander Samantha Wroblewski (9-1) tossed a four-hitter in game two. She struck out one and did not issue a walk.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as GSW starter Haley Goodson (7-7) walked three batters and hit a batter.  Junior right fielder Kaylee Childers accounted for the tally with a bases-loaded walk.  The Hurricanes quickly knotted the score with a single run in the bottom half of the frame.

In Saturday's opener, a Welty long-ball tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth.  However, GSW answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.

FMU senior righty Shelby Kelley (10-8) surrendered eight hits, fanned five, and did not walk a batter.  Senior third baseman Sharee Blomquist was the lone Patriot with multiple hits in game one as she went 2-for-2.

GSW third baseman Hayley Tierce went 3-for-3 in support of winning pitcher Brittany Childs (5-3) who allowed only four hits.