FLORENCE, SC - Junior shortstop
Makayla Cuthbertson tallied five hits, four runs scored, and two runs driven in to spark Francis Marion University to a doubleheader sweep of Southern Wesleyan University, Saturday afternoon (Mar. 18) in Conference Carolinas softball play. The Patriots won the opener 9-2 and the second contest 8-0 in five innings.
Francis Marion has won six straight and improves to 24-4 overall and 4-0 in league action. FMU will host the University of Mount Olive for a conference twinbill on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Cuthbertson went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI in the opener. Freshman second baseman
Madalyn White had two hits and two RBIs.
Senior right-hander
Rachel Davis (11-3) recorded the complete-game win as she allowed only four hits and struck out a season-high nine batters. She retired the first 12 batters she faced before allowing a base runner.
Senior righty Emma Jo Wolfe (0-4) took the loss for Southern Wesleyan, which drops to 2-20 and 0-4.
FMU manufactured a run in the first inning as Cuthbertson reached on a bunt single, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by White, and scampered home on a passed ball.
The Patriots broke open a pitchers' duel with six runs in the fourth. The outburst included a two-run single by junior right fielder
Katie Smith, and run-scoring singles by Cuthbertson, White, and senior designated hitter
Savana Rosson. FMU also scored a run on a throwing error.
The Warriors plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before Francs Marion added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. The first run came home on a single up the middle by White and the final tally on a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman
Taylor Watford.
Rosson and graduate student catcher
Reagan Glanz both had two hits to lead FMU in the second contest. Glanz also drove in three runs. With hits in both games, Rosson extended her hitting streak to 11 games.
Freshman righty
Jenna Walling (12-1) posted her second shutout of the season, and the ninth complete game of her young career, by allowing only three hits, with one walk and five strikeouts.
Francis Marion scored the only run it would need in the second when senior second baseman
Megan Matsil doubled home pinch runner
Laurin Nodine.
The advantage swelled to 6-0 with a five-run outburst in the third. Cuthbertson and White had back-to-back RBI doubles, while senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson hit a sacrifice fly, Rosson cranked a solo home run, and Glanz drilled a two-out RBI-single to right centerfield.
Glanz accounted for the final two runs in walk-off fashion as she laced a two-run single to center field in the fifth that resulted in the eight-run mercy rule being invoked.
White extended her season-long, and career-long streak of safely reaching base to 28 contests.
Freshman right-hander Autumn Barnhardt (1-6) allowed six runs and was tagged with the loss.
Francis Marion Univ. 9, Southern Wesleyan U. 2 (Mar 18, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Southern Wesleyan U. 000 011 0 - 2 4 1 (2-19, 0-3 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 100 602 X - 9 11 0 (23-4, 3-0 CC)
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Pitchers: Southern Wesleyan U. - Emma Jo Wolfe; Ella Grace Lawton(5) and Ryanne Yarborough.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Rachel Davis and
Lauren Smallwood;
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Rachel Davis(11-3) Loss-Emma Jo Wolfe(0-4) T-1:58 A-121
Weather: Mostly cloudy,58,Winds SE @ 11
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Southern Wesleyan U. 0 (Mar 18, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Southern Wesleyan U. 000 00 - 0 3 1 (2-20, 0-4 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 015 02 - 8 8 0 (24-4, 4-0 CC)
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Pitchers: Southern Wesleyan U. - Autumn Barnhardt; Jaelyn Montfort(3) and Cambrie Deberry.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling and
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Jenna Walling(12-1) Loss-Autumn Barnhardt(1-6) T-1:35 A-0
HR FMU_SB -
Savana Rosson (7).
Weather: Mostly sunny,63,Winds SE@8mph
