TIGERVILLE, SC – Junior right-hander
Casey Kurent pitched one-hit ball over six innings of relief work allowing Francis Marion University to rally for a wild 7-6 win in 11 innings over North Greenville University in the second game of Friday's (March 25) Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader. North Greenville won the opener 7-2.
Francis Marion (18-13, 4-4) will conclude its weekend trip to the Upstate with a noon doubleheader at Southern Wesleyan University on Saturday.
Kurent (6-2) took over for FMU senior starter
Janecia Hemingway in the sixth and allowed just one hit over the remainder of the marathon contest. She surrendered only two unearned runs and two walks, while striking out five.
FMU scored twice in the top of the 11th and held off a last-ditch effort by the Crusaders in the bottom of the frame. Patriot freshman designated hitter
Emma Moberg was placed on second via the international tiebreaker rule to start the frame and went to third on a ground out. Senior infielder
Ashtyn Patterson was hit by a pitch and then stole second base. On the play, NGU tried to pick Moberg off third, but the throw was wild allowing Moberg to score the go-ahead run.
One batter later, senior outfielder
Danielle Karacson singled home Patterson with a key insurance run. That proved decisive as the Crusaders scored once in the bottom of the 11th on a two-out double by Jenna Hewes – the only hit Kurent allowed – but the Patriot hurler fanned the next batter to end the game.
North Greenville (11-17, 3-1) took a 3-0 lead after three innings. A lead-off homer in the fourth by FMU junior first baseman
Savana Rosson trimmed the deficit to 3-1. It is Rosson's 12th round-tripper of the season, one shy of the school single-season record. In the fifth, Karacson cut the margin to 3-2 with an RBI-triple to right field. Rosson followed with a walk, and was replaced by pinch runner
Amaya Hush who then stole second. Both Hush and Karacson scored when junior infielder
Megan Matsil's two-out fly ball to left field was misplayed.
NGU responded with a single run in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score at 4-4. Both teams scored single runs in the ninth inning – FMU on a solo homer to left by Karacson – setting the stage for the wild 11th inning.
Patterson had a hit in each game of the twinbill, was hit twice, and walked once to extend her streak of safely reaching base to all 31 contests this season.
Hailey Wells (4-5) was tagged with the loss in relief for North Greenville.
In Friday's opener, Matsil and Hemingway led FMU with two hits apiece. Junior right-hander
Rachel Davis (6-4) started and was tagged with the loss as she surrendered seven runs (four earned) on six hits in 4.1 innings. Hemingway finished up, throwing the final 1.2 frames and allowing only two hits and no runs.
After the Crusaders scored twice in the first inning, Francis Marion evened the score in the top of the second. A one-out single by freshman outfielder
Jayla King, making her first career start, loaded the bases for the Patriots. Patterson plated the first run with an infield single and sophomore outfielder
Katie Smith followed with an RBI grounder to second that was misplayed. However, the next two FMU batters were retired leaving the score knotted at 2-2.
North Greenville then scored five unanswered runs over the third, fourth, and fifth frames to secure the victory. Bailey Pace (5-8) captured the win in the circle for NGU.
North Greenville 7, Francis Marion 2 (Mar 25, 2022 at Tigerville, SC) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 020 000 0 - 2 8 2 (17-13, 3-4)
North Greenville.... 202 120 X - 7 8 2 (11-16, 3-0)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Rachel Davis;
Janecia Hemingway(5) and
Lauren Smallwood.
North Greenville - Bailey Pace and Taylor Koon.
Win-Bailey Pace(5-8) Loss-
Rachel Davis(6-4) T-2:15 A-0
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 61 Degrees
Francis Marion 7, North Greenville 6 (Mar 25, 2022 at Tigerville, SC) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 000 130 001 02 - 7 13 2 (18-13, 4-4 CC)
North Greenville.... 102 010 001 01 - 6 6 3 (11-17, 3-1 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Janecia Hemingway;
Casey Kurent(6) and
Lauren Smallwood.
North Greenville - Morgan Hatchell; Hailey Wells(5) and Brianna McRae.
Win-
Casey Kurent(6-2) Loss-Hailey Wells(4-5) T-3:30 A-87
HR FMU_SB -
Danielle Karacson;
Savana Rosson.
HR NGU - Brianna McRae.
Weather: 62 Sunny
Hemingway faced 1 batter in the 6th.
