FLORENCE, SC – Junior third baseman
Makayla Cuthbertson recorded six hits, scored five times, and drove in six runs to spark Francis Marion University to a pair wins, Monday (Feb. 27) on the final day of the Swamp Fox Sizzler Softball Tournament. FMU beat Bloomsburg University 13-1 in five innings and West Liberty University 11-1 in five innings to finish the two-day event unbeaten at 4-0.
Francis Marion, now 14-2 and winners of six straight, will host a pair of non-conference doubleheaders this week: Thursday against Georgian Court University at 4 p.m. and Saturday against Chestnut Hill College at 1 p.m.
Cuthbertson went 3-for-4 in the opener against Bloomsburg (2-2) with a double, three runs scored, and three driven in. Senior first baseman
Taylor Watford, senior second baseman
Megan Matsil, senior designated hitter
Savana Rosson, and sophomore outfielder
Avery Bellai all registered two hits.
Francis Marion registered 16 hits, including at least one by every position starter.
Freshman right-hander
Jenna Walling earned the win to remain unbeaten (8-0) for her young career. She pitched four innings and allowed one unearned run on eight hits with two strikeouts.
Watford hit a long three-run homer down the left field line with two outs in the first to stake the Patriots to a 3-0 lead. FMU then scored eight runs in the third, highlighted by a two-run double by Rosson, a two-run single by Cuthbertson, and run-scoring hits by Bellai, Matsil, and junior catcher
Lauren Smallwood.
The final two runs came home in the fourth frame on a run-scoring double to center field by Cuthbertson and an RBI-ground out by freshman shortstop
Madalyn White.
Bloomsburg starter Callie Sowers (1-1) was the losing pitcher as she surrendered Watford's homer.
In the second contest against WLU, the Patriots scored in every inning.
Cuthbertson again had three hits, three RBIs, and scored twice, while both Watford and Smallwood rapped out two hits. Cuthbertson recorded a double and a triple in the second contest.
Senior righty
Rachel Davis (5-2) allowed only one hit in her four scoreless innings of work. She fanned three and did not issue a walk.
Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Matsil and Watford in the opening inning put the Patriots ahead 2-0. A five-run outburst in the second frame upped the advantage to 7-0. Cuthbertson doubled home two runs, White singled in two, and senior
Danielle Karacson drilled a solo home run over the left field wall.
Cuthbertson tripled off the right centerfield wall to plate junior right fielder
Katie Smith in the third. The Patriot scoring concluded with three tallies in the fourth as Watford drilled an RBI-double and Rosson singled home two runs.
West Liberty (1-11) scored its lone run in the fifth inning. Hilltopper righty Ashlyn Tapman (0-5) was saddled with the loss.
Francis Marion Univ. 13, Bloomsburg Univ. 1 (Feb 27, 2023 at Florence, SC)
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Bloomsburg Univ..... 001 00 - 1 9 0 (2-2)
Francis Marion Univ. 308 2X - 13 16 2 (13-2)
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Pitchers: Bloomsburg Univ. - Callie Sowers; Lyndsey Reinoehl(3); Faith Persing(3);
Taylor Welsh(4) and Emma Little. Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling;
Jordan Rivera(5) and
Lauren Smallwood;
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Jenna Walling (8-0) Loss-Callie Sowers (1-1) T-1:57 A-82
HR FMU_SB -
Taylor Watford (3).
Weather: 70. partly cloudy, winds N @ 8
L. Reinoehl faced 5 batters in the 3rd.
Francis Marion Univ. 11, West Liberty Univ. 1 (Feb 27, 2023 at Florence, SC)
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West Liberty Univ…. 000 01 - 1 3 0 (1-11)
Francis Marion Univ. 251 3X - 11 12 0 (14-2)
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Pitchers: West Liberty Univ. - Ashlyn Tapman; Leah Alford(2); Brooke Perri(4) and
Savannah Holbrook. Francis Marion Univ. -
Rachel Davis;
Jordan Rivera(5) and
Lauren Smallwood;
Elisabeth Raby.
Win-
Rachel Davis (5-2) Loss-Ashlyn Tapman (0-5) T-1:29 A-65
HR FMU_SB -
Danielle Karacson (4).
Weather: Cloudy,74,Winds N @ 11 mph
L. Alford faced 3 batters in the 4th.
