AIKEN, SC – Sophomore second baseman Megan Matsil homered and drove in three runs, but Francis Marion University lost both ends of a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader at USC Aiken on Wednesday (April 7), losing 4-3 and 7-5.
 
Francis Marion (8-10, 4-2) will return home to host Flagler College for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday. Attendance is limited to 250 and that includes only season ticket holders, FMU students with pre-acquired tickets, and family members of players and staff with pre-reserved tickets. No walk-up game-day tickets will be sold.
 
In the opener, FMU rallied from an early deficit to knot the score at 3-3 in the top of the third. The Patriots loaded the bases with no outs and scored the three runs on a pair of USCA errors.  However, the Pacers responded immediately with the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the same frame as right fielder Katelyn Powell plated the tally with a two-out RBI double.
 
Sophomore right-hander Rachel Davis (4-2) took the loss.  She scattered six hits, walked one, and struck out one.  Caroline Cockrell (1-7) earned the win as she held FMU to just two singles, while fanning seven.
 
In the second contest, USCA again took an early lead by scoring twice in the first off Patriot sophomore righty Taylor Florea (4-4).  The Patriots trimmed the margin to 2-1 in the top of the second when sophomore catcher Sarah Harkins doubled home junior outfielder Hannah Schmidt.
 
Francis Marion scored a trio of runs in the fifth to take a 4-2 advantage.  Junior first baseman Addie May singled in one run and Matsil stroked a one-out, two-run single to  right.
 
However, USCA (3-9, 3-7) scored three times in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead and scored a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.  Matsil homered over the center field fence with two outs in the top of the seventh to account for the final two-run margin.
 
Both Schmidt and Matsil has two hits for the Patriots in game two.  It was Matsil's second long ball of the season and she now leads FMU with 12 runs batted in.
 
Rebekah Cook (2-1) was the winning pitcher for USCA.
 
 
USC Aiken 4, Francis Marion 3 (Apr 07, 2021 at Aiken, S.C.) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 003 000 0 -  3  2  0      (8-9, 4-1 PBC)
USC Aiken........... 301 000 X -  4  6  3      (2-9, 2-7 PBC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Rachel Davis and Sarah Harkins. USC Aiken - Cockrell and Ayers.
Win-Cockrell(1-7)  Loss-Rachel Davis(4-2)  T-1:35  A-88
HR USCA - Ayers.
 
USC Aiken 7, Francis Marion 5 (Apr 07, 2021 at Aiken, S.C) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 010 030 1 -  5  7  3      (8-10, 4-2 PBC)
USC Aiken........... 200 032 X -  7 12  1      (3-9, 3-7 PBC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Taylor Florea and Sarah Harkins. USC Aiken - Cook and Ayers.
Win-Cook(2-1)  Loss-Taylor Florea(4-4)  T-2:26  A-88
HR FMU_SB - Megan Matsil.