CENTRAL, SC – Francis Marion University exploded for 27 hits, including six home runs, to sweep a Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader from Southern Wesleyan University on Saturday (March 26), winning 8-2 and 22-1 in five innings.
 
Francis Marion, now 20-13 overall and 6-4 in conference play, will play a twinbill at Lander University on Tuesday at 3 p.m., before returning home to entertain local-rival UNC Pembroke on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
In Saturday's first contest, senior outfielder Danielle Karacson registered three hits, including a double and a homer, and drove in two runs.  Three Patriots had two hits – senior infielder Ashtyn Patterson, sophomore outfielder Katie Smith, and junior infielder Megan Matsil – with both Patterson and Matsil also homering.
 
Junior right-hander Rachel Davis (7-4) was the winning pitcher.  She posted her fifth complete game of the year, while allowing only two runs on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
 
A solo homer by Matsil in the second off Faith Bowen (1-8) staked FMU to a 1-0 advantage.  An RBI single by Karacson in the third helped up the margin to 3-0.
 
The Patriots scored four times in the fourth, thanks to a run-scoring double by freshman designated player Emma Moberg and a three-homer by Patterson.  After the Warriors trimmed the margin to 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Davis held them scoreless the rest of way, while Karacson's leadoff homer in the seventh added an insurance run.
 
In the second game, FMU scored four runs in the first, two in the second, four in the third, and 12 in the fifth, while pounding out 15 hits.
 
Karacson collected four hits, including a school-record tying three doubles, and drove in four runs.
 
Junior righty Casey Kurent (7-2) was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion.  She limited SWU to one run on five hits in four innings.  She did not walk a batter and fanned two.
 
Smith was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, four runs scored, and three RBIs, while Matsil was 2-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored, and three driven in.  Patterson was 1-for-2, but she scored four times and her one hit was a grand slam.  Sophomore Grace Troutman was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
 
Patterson's grand slam and a three-run homer by Moberg highlighted the 12-run fifth inning that saw 16 Patriots come to the plate.  The outburst equaled the second most runs scored in an inning in program history, bested only by a 14-run performance against Voorhees College in 1987.
 
The 22-1 winning margin was two shy of the school record.
 
 
Francis Marion 8, Southern Wesleyan 2 (Mar 26, 2022 at Central, SC) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion........... 012 400 10 -  8 12  1      (19-13, 5-4 CC)
Southern Wesleyan... 000 200 0X -  2  5  3      (2-16, 1-4 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Rachel Davis and Lauren Smallwood.
Southern Wesleyan - Bowen, F and Stewart, K.
Win-Rachel Davis(7-4)  Loss- Faith Bowen (1-8)  T-2.25  A-34
HR FMU_SB - Ashtyn Patterson; Danielle Karacson; Megan Matsil.
 
GAME 1 NOTES
» Karacson had three base hits in the game for Francis Marion.
» Davis struck out eight Warriors hitters.
» The Patriots had both Matsil and Karacson smack multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed four runs across.
» The Patriots had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Warriors 1-0 in the top of the second.
» Four Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion hitters hit three dingers in the ballgame.
» The Patriots out-hit the Warriors at a 12-5 clip.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Southern Wesleyan to just 1-for-11 (.091) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 29 Southern Wesleyan hitters in the game, allowing two ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out eight.
» Karacson led the Patriots at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs.
» Southern Wesleyan was led offensively by junior EJ Wolfe, who went 1-for-2 with a triple.
 
Francis Marion 22, Southern Wesleyan 1 (Mar 26, 2022 at Central, SC) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion.......... 424 0(12) - 22 15  0      (20-13, 6-4 CC)
Southern Wesleyan... 001 00    -  1  7  7      (2-17, 1-5 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Casey Kurent; Emma Moberg (5) and Lauren Smallwood. Southern Wesleyan - Collins, E; Bowen, F(5) and Stewart, K.
Win-Casey Kurent (7-2)  Loss-Emma Collins (0-8)  T-1.75  A-101
HR FMU_SB - Ashtyn Patterson; Megan Matsil; Emma Moberg.
 
GAME 2 NOTES
» Karacson collected four hits on the day for Francis Marion.
» The Patriots had three players put together games with multiple extra-base hits.
» Karacson and Patterson drove in four runs for Francis Marion.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed 12 runs across.
» Francis Marion took a 4-0 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Four Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion hitters hit three dingers in the ballgame.
» The Patriots had a total of 15 hits.
» The Patriots out-hit the Warriors at a 15-7 clip.
» Francis Marion went 9-for-20 (.450) with runners in scoring position.
» The Patriots got two hits in four at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Southern Wesleyan to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 21 Southern Wesleyan hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and five fly balls while striking out three.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Southern Wesleyan pitching.
» Karacson led the Patriots at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs.
» Southern Wesleyan was led offensively by senior E Collins, who went 2-for-2 with a double.