FLORENCE, SC – Junior right fielder
Katie Smith laced a two-out, two-run, walk-off single to right field to propel Francis Marion University to an 11-10 win in nine innings over visiting West Chester University, and to a sweep of Tuesday evening's (Mar. 14) non-conference softball doubleheader. Home runs by senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson and senior designated hitter
Savana Rosson keyed FMU to an 11-2 five-inning win in game one of the twinbill.
Francis Marion (20-4) reaches 20 wins in only 24 contests, the fourth fastest progression in program history. The Patriots will open Conference Carolinas play this weekend with a pair of home doubleheaders: Friday at 4 p.m. against North Greenville University and Saturday at 2 p.m. against Southern Wesleyan University.
In game one, a two-run homer by Karacson and a solo opposite-field shot by Rosson staked the Patriots to a 3-0 first-inning lead, a margin they would never relinquish. The lead doubled to 6-0 in the second when junior third baseman
Makayla Cuthbertson tripled home two runs and then scored on an RBI-ground out by freshman shortstop
Madalyn White.
After West Chester (7-6) scored once in the top of the third, the advantage swelled to 8-1 when sophomore center fielder
Avery Bellai stroked a two-run triple down the right field line. Run-scoring singles by senior first baseman
Taylor Watford and junior catcher
Lauren Smallwood, as well as a run scoring on a throw, accounted for the final three Patriot tallies.
Karacson and Smallwood both rapped out two hits in game one.
Senior right-hander
Rachel Davis (9-3) earned the win by allowing only one run on five hits in 4.1 innings with six strikeouts and no walks.
WCU sophomore righty Makenzie Edwards (1-3), making her first start of the year, was tagged with the loss.
Davis would come on in relief of FMU freshman righty
Jenna Walling and also picked up the win in game two. In making her first relief appearance of the season, she tossed four frames and surrendered only two unearned runs (both in extra innings with the tiebreaker rule) on four hits with five punch-outs and again, no walks.
Trailing 10-9 heading to the bottom of the ninth, a pair of walks (along with the runner placed on second) loaded the bases with two outs. Smith then drove a 2-2 pitch from right-hander Samantha Klug into right field for her second walk-off hit of the season. In addition to the game-ending hit, Smith clouted a two-run homer in the second inning.
Four Patriots registered two hits in the nightcap: Cuthbertson, White, Karacson, and Smith.
Smith's long ball helped erase an early 3-0 deficit. A four-run outburst by FMU in the third inning – comprised of RBI-doubles by Karacson and Watford and a two-run homer to left center field by Smallwood – produced a 7-4 Patriot advantage.
The Golden Rams plated the game's next four runs to knot the score at 7-7. However, a wild base-running sequence in the last of the fifth saw White score the go-ahead run on a throwing error giving Francis Marion an 8-7 margin.
West Chester scored the tying run in the next half inning, and after a scoreless seventh frame, the contest went to extra innings. The Golden Rams scored in the top of the eighth, but FMU responded when Bellai plated senior second baseman
Megan Matsil with a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 9-9. WCU again took a one-run lead (10-9) in the ninth, thus setting stage for Smith's heroics.
White had her 18-game hitting streak snapped in Tuesday's opener, but she extended her streak of safely reaching base to all 24 games this season. Karacson extended her hitting streak to 16 games with hits in both ends of the doubleheader.
Francis Marion Univ. 11, West Chester Univ. 2 (Mar 14, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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West Chester Univ... 001 01 - 2 6 1 (7-5)
Francis Marion Univ. 332 3X - 11 10 0 (19-4)
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Pitchers: West Chester Univ. - Makenzie Edwards; Danielle Ciliberto(2); Anna Torrens(4) and
Abigail Quinn. Francis Marion Univ. -
Rachel Davis;
Jordan Rivera(5) and
Lauren Smallwood.
Win-
Rachel Davis (8-3) Loss-Makenzie Edwards(1-3) T-1:41 A-53
HR WCU-S - Emma Zoldi (2).
HR FMU_SB -
Danielle Karacson (7);
Savana Rosson (5).
Weather: sunny, 53, winds SE @12mph
Francis Marion Univ. 11, West Chester Univ. 10 (Mar 14, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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West Chester Univ... 210 311 011 - 10 13 3 (7-6)
Francis Marion Univ. 034 010 012 - 11 14 5 (20-4)
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Pitchers: West Ch ester Univ. - Samantha Klug; Mary Picozzi(3); Antonia Browning(5) and
Abigail Quinn. Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling;
Rachel Davis(6) and
Lauren Smallwood;
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Rachel Davis (9-3) Loss-Antonia Browning (0-3) T-3:17
HR WCU-S - Hailey Melvin (1).
HR FMU_SB -
Lauren Smallwood (4);
Katie Smith (2).
Weather: clear, 52, winds SE @13mph
Walling faced 1 batter in the 6th.
