FLORENCE, SC -- Sophomore catcher Lauren Smallwood's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first inning keyed Francis Marion University to a 7-3 victory over Lees-McRae College, Friday afternoon (March 18) handing the Patriots their first-ever Conference Carolinas softball win.  The Bobcats however, scored three runs in the top of the first inning in game two and held on for a 5-4 win and a split of the doubleheader, a game that featured a two-hour weather delay.
 
FMU (15-12, 1-3) will host King University (Tenn.) on Saturday for a conference twinbill at 2 p.m.
 
Smallwood finished the opener 2-for-3, while freshman designated player Emma Molberg also had two hits and drove in a run.  Senior infielder Ashtyn Patterson went 2-for-4 and scored twice.

Junior right-hander Rachel Davis (6-3) earned the win with 4.2 innings of work. She surrendered only two runs, both earned, on six hits, while walking two and striking out six.  Senior righty Janecia Hemingway pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn her first save of 2022.
 
Smallwood's first-inning hit to left field staked FMU to a 2-0 advantage it would never relinquish. An RBI-single off the left field wall by Moberg in the third plated pinch runner Jayla King to up the margin to 3-0.
 
Lees-McRae narrowed Francis Marion's lead to 3-2 in the fourth, before junior first baseman Savana Rosson launched a two-run homer over the right field wall in the fifth to give FMU a 5-2 lead.  A pinch-hit run-scoring single by Bobcat senior Christian Welch narrowed the lead to 5-3 in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, Francis Marion answered with two runs on an RBI-ground out by sophomore right fielder Katie Smith and later Patterson scored on a wild pitch.
 
Lees-McRae freshman righty Megan Powell (3-6) was tagged with the loss.


Patterson was the lone Patriot with multiple hits in the second game, while extending her hitting streak to 10 games and her streak of safely reaching base to all 27 contests this season.
 
Hemingway (4-7) allowed the three first-inning runs and was tagged with the loss.  Junior right-hander Casey Kurent came out of the bullpen to pitch 6.1 innings and allowed only one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts.
 
Freshman southpaw Jasmine Fong (1-0) earned the win in relief for Less-McRae with 4.2 innings of work.


FMU trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the third and knocked the LMC starter out of the game. Graduate student center fielder NaJah Gerrald scored on a fielding error following a single by Patterson, and Rosson drove home a run with a ground out.
 
The Bobcats responded with two runs in the top of the fourth before Patterson brought the Patriots to within 5-3 with a run-scoring infield single in the bottom half of the frame.
 
FMU left one runner on base in each of the fifth and sixth innings.  In the seventh, Francis Marion has runners on the corners with two outs.  Moberg then reached on a throwing error by the Bobcat third baseman, and on the play Smith scored FMU's fourth run.  However on the same play, a Patriot pinch runner attempted to go from first to third and was thrown out ending the game with FMU a run short.


Francis Marion Univ. 7, Lees-McRae College 3 (Mar 18, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Lees-McRae College.. 000 201 0 -  3  9  0      (6-13, 0-1 CC)
Francis Marion Univ.    201 022 X -  7  8  2      (15-11, 1-2 CC)
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Pitchers: Lees-McRae College - Megan Powell; Jenna Bullard(6) and Abby West; Jordyn Scott.
Francis Marion Univ. - Rachel Davis; Janecia Hemingway(5) and Lauren Smallwood.
Win-Rachel Davis(6-3)  Save-Janecia Hemingway(1)  Loss-Megan Powell(3-6)  T-2:28  A-101
HR FMU_SB - Savana Rosson (9).
Weather: Partly Cloudy,76,Wind N @11mph
 
GAME 1 NOTES
» Davis struck out six Bobcats hitters.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Francis Marion grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Lees-McRae to just 2-for-11 (.182) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 34 Lees-McRae hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Patriots drew five walks from Lees-McRae pitching.
» Rosson led the Patriots at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.
» Lees-McRae was led offensively by freshman Emma Jackson, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
 
 
Lees-McRae College 5, Francis Marion Univ. 4 (Mar 18, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Lees-McRae College.. 300 200 0 -  5  8  3      (7-13, 1-1 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 002 100 1 -  4  8  2      (15-12, 1-3 CC)
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Pitchers: Lees-McRae College - Megan Powell; Jasmine Fong(3) and Abby West.
Francis Marion Univ. - Janecia Hemingway; Casey Kurent(1) and Lauren Smallwood.
Win-Jasmine Fong(1-0)  Loss-Janecia Hemingway(4-7)  T-2:07
Weather: Overcast,78.Winds N@10 mph

GAME 2 NOTES
» The game featured a two-hour rain delay in the top of the fourth inning.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed two runs across.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 32 Lees-McRae hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and six fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Lees-McRae pitching.
» Patterson led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
» Lees-McRae was led offensively by junior Hannah Foster, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
» Freshman Jasmine Fong led the Bobcats pitching staff, throwing 4.2 innings of two-run ball.