FLORENCE, SC – Senior right-handed pitcher
Janecia Hemingway tossed a two-hit shutout and helped her own cause with a two-run double at the plate to lift Francis Marion University to an 8-0 win over Georgia College on Tuesday (March 15), and to a sweep of the non-conference softball doubleheader. FMU junior righty
Rachel Davis faced the minimum 15 batters over the first five innings and the Patriots cruised to a 7-2 victory in Tuesday's opener.
Francis Marion (14-11) will host a pair of Conference Carolinas doubleheaders this weekend: Lees-McRae College on Friday at 4 p.m. and King University (Tenn.) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Hemingway improved to 4-6 with her second complete game of 2022. She walked three and struck out three.
Eight different Patriots registered a hit and six drove in runs during the five-inning contest.
Junior first baseman
Savana Rosson opened the scoring with an opposite field solo homer in the second off Bobcat southpaw Golden Thrower (2-5). The margin grew to 4-0 in the third as freshman designated player
Emma Moberg and junior shortstop
Megan Matsil delivered RBI hits and sophomore catcher
Lauren Smallwood scored on a wild pitch.
FMU involved the 8-run mercy rule in the bottom of the fifth by scoring four times. Hemingway smoked a two-run double to the left center field wall, senior third baseman
Ashtyn Patterson plated pinch runner
Jayla King with a sacrifice fly, and sophomore right fielder
Katie Smith drove in the game-ending run with a groundout to the pitcher. Graduate student center fielder
NaJah Gerrald was on the third and despite being looked back by the Georgia College hurler, she still beat the throw from first to the plate.
In the first game, Davis (5-3) limited the Bobcats to two runs on six hits, while fanning five and walking no one.
Patterson and Moberg led the Patriots with two hits apiece in game one. Moberg, Smallwood, and Matsil all drove in two runs apiece.
The Patriots got on the board in the first when Smith scored on an infield single by Smallwood.
FMU sent 11 batters to the plate in the third and exploded for six runs. Smallwood plated the first run when she walked with the bases loaded. Moberg followed with a two-run single off the third baseman's glove and Matsil drilled a two-run single up the middle. Patterson completed the scoring with a two-out RBI-single to center.
Georgia College got on the board in the sixth when Katelyn Hobbs delivered a two-run single. Third baseman Brooke Lougher tripled to lead off the Bobcat seventh inning, but Davis retired the next three batters in order to end the game.
Georgia College starter Macy Banks (4-7) was the losing pitcher.
Patterson got hits in both game to extend her hitting streak to eight games and her streak of safely reaching base to all 25 contests this season.
Francis Marion Univ. 7, Georgia College 2 (Mar 15, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Georgia College....... 000 002 0 - 2 6 1 (9-16)
Francis Marion Univ. 106 000 X - 7 8 0 (13-11)
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Pitchers: Georgia College - Macy Banks; Kaitlyn Anders(3) and Lauren Sommerer; Divina Checo.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Rachel Davis and
Lauren Smallwood.
Win-
Rachel Davis(5-3) Loss-Macy Banks(4-7) T-2:28 A-47
Weather: Overcast,73,Winds NW @ 3 mph
GAME 1 NOTES
» Davis struck out five Bobcats hitters.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed six runs across.
» Francis Marion grabbed a 1-0 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 Bobcats at an 8-6 clip.
» Francis Marion went 4-for-10 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 25 Georgia College hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and six fly balls while striking out five.
» The Patriots drew seven walks from Georgia College pitching.
» Moberg led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
» Georgia College was led offensively by sophomore Brooke Lougher, who went 2-for-3 with a triple.
» Freshman Kaitlyn Anders led the Bobcats pitching staff, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings.
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Georgia College 0 (Mar 15, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Georgia College....... 000 00 - 0 2 1 (9-17)
Francis Marion Univ. 013 04 - 8 8 0 (14-11)
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Pitchers: Georgia College - Golden Thrower; Montana Ledbetter(3); Kaitlyn Anders(5) and
Lauren Sommerer. Francis Marion Univ. -
Janecia Hemingway and
Lauren Smallwood.
Win-
Janecia Hemingway(4-6) Loss-Golden Thrower(2-5) T-1:49 A-0
HR FMU_SB -
Savana Rosson (8).
Weather: Overcast,69,Winds SW @ 2 mph
Montana Ledb faced 2 batters in the 5th.
GAME 2 NOTES
» Hemingway tossed a two-hit shutout for the Patriots.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed four runs across.
» The Patriots had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Bobcats 1-0 in the bottom of the second.
» The Patriots out-hit the Bobcats at an 8-2 clip.
» The Patriots got two hits in four at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 20 Georgia College hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and three fly balls while striking out three.
» The Patriots drew five walks from Georgia College pitching.
» Rosson led the Patriots at the plate, going 1-for-1 with a home run and an RBI.
» Georgia College was led offensively by freshman Divina Checo, who went 1-for-2.
