FLORENCE, SC – Junior first baseman
Savana Rosson, sophomore catcher
Lauren Smallwood, and freshman designated player
Emma Moberg combined to drive in 10 runs and propel Francis Marion University to a 13-1 win over Kutztown University, Saturday (Feb. 26) on the second day of the Patriot Invitational Softball Tournament.
Francis Marion (10-8) played again on Saturday evening against Lenoir-Rhyne University. FMU concludes its tournament action on Sunday at noon against West Liberty University.
Patriot junior
Casey Kurent (4-1) started in the circle and picked up the win. The right-hander went five innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing three walks and striking out four.
Senior third baseman
Ashtyn Patterson and senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson both pounded out three hits apiece for FMU. Rosson went 2-for-2 with a home run and a walk.
Kurent stranded three Golden Bear runners on base in the top of the first inning when she induced a line out to third. The Patriot bats then exploded in the bottom half of the frame with six runs. Rosson singled in the first run, and three batters later, Moberg plated three with a long single off the right-center field wall. Batting for the second time in the inning, Patterson singled (for the second time) and drove in the final two runs.
Smallwood drilled a three-run home run over the center field wall in the second frame to up the advantage to 9-0.
An RBI-single by Karacson and a three-run opposite field homer by Rosson accounted for four tallies in the third as FMU went up 13-0.
Kutztown starter Haley Gravish (0-2) was saddled with the loss. The Golden Bears (3-3) scored their lone run in the fifth inning on an RBI-single by first baseman Jenna Lipowski.
Francis Marion Univ. 13, Kutztown University 1 (Feb 26, 2022 at Florence, SC)
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Kutztown University. 000 01 - 1 5 1 (3-3)
Francis Marion Univ. 634 0X - 13 11 0 (10-8)
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Pitchers: Kutztown University - Haley Gravish; Jessica Iavarone(1); Sarah Harvey(2) and
Hannah Auvil; Brittany Hubler. Francis Marion Univ. -
Casey Kurent and
Lauren Smallwood.
Win-
Casey Kurent(4-1) Loss-Haley Gravish(0-2) T-1:41 A-159
HR FMU_SB -
Savana Rosson (6);
Lauren Smallwood (2).
Weather: Mostly sunny,60,Winds ENE@7mph
J. Iavarone faced 3 batters in the 2nd.
GAME NOTES
» Francis Marion got three-hit games from both Patterson and Karacson.
» Rosson drove in four runs for Francis Marion.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed six runs across.
» Francis Marion took a 6-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» The Patriots out-hit the Golden Bears at an 11-5 clip.
» Francis Marion went 6-for-8 (.750) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 23 Kutztown (PA) hitters in the game, allowing one ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out four.
» Rosson led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs.
» Kutztown (PA) was led offensively by freshman Brianna Stocklin, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
» Junior Sarah Harvey led the Golden Bears pitching staff, throwing three innings of four-run ball.
