FLORENCE, SC – Freshman pinch hitter Madison Ackerman crushed  a grand slam home in the sixth inning to help Queens University of Charlotte rally late to defeat Francis Marion University 8-2, Saturday night (Feb. 17) in the sixth game of the Patriots Invitational Softball Tournament.

Earlier in the day, the Patriots (6-3) defeated Chowan University 9-4.

The tournament will conclude on Sunday with Mercy playing Chowan at 10 a.m. and FMU meeting Mercy at noon.  Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students.

FMU's seven hits were scattered among seven different players.  The Patriots' lone RBI came from junior second baseman Jennie Polak.

FMU sophomore right-hander Sydney Holland (3-1) suffered her first loss of 2018, although four of the six runs she allowed were unearned.  She struck out 10 and walked two in 5.1 innings.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the last of the fourth thanks to a two-out throwing error by the Royals.  Queens quickly knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fifth.

The Royals (11-2) then scored six times in the sixth, highlighted by Ackerman's long ball.

Polak's RBI single up the middle trimmed the margin to 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth.

Queens' starter Courtney Pearson (4-1) earned the win as she allowed only one earned run in six innings.

Both FMU junior shortstop Taylor Johnson and junior catcher Chelsea Welty extended their season-long hitting streaks to nine games.

Queens of Charlotte 8, Francis Marion Univ. 2 (Feb 17, 2018 at Florence, SC)
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Queens of Charlotte. 000 016 1 -  8  7  1      (11-2)
Francis Marion Univ.  000 101 0 -  2  7  2      (6-3)
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Pitchers: Queens of Charlotte - Courtney Pearson; Shannon McGuire(7) and Jordan Hunt.
Francis Marion Univ. - Sydney Holland; Samantha Wroblewski(6) and Chelsea Welty.
Win-Courtney Pearson (4-1)  Loss-Sydney Holland (3-1)  T-2:14  A-66
HR QUSB18 - Sydney Ditto (5); Madison Ackerman (1).
Weather: Partly Cloudy,60,Winds SE@6mph
Pearson faced 2 batters in the 7th.