BRISTOL, TN – In a rematch of last year's Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game, King University swept two games from Francis Marion University, winning 10-2 and 9-4 on Friday afternoon (Mar. 24) in softball action.
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Francis Marion (25-7, 5-3) will continue its weekend road trip with a doubleheader at Lees-McRae College on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PLEASE note the start time has been pushed back an hour from noon to 1 p.m. because of weather concerns).
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In Friday's opener, FMU freshman righty
Jenna Walling (13-2) suffered just her second loss as a collegiate as she allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts in three innings. Freshman right-hander
Jordan Rivera recorded the final five outs.
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Junior shortstop
Makayla Cuthbertson led FMU at the plate with a pair of hits, a run scored, and an RBI. Â Â Freshman third baseman
Madalyn White went 1-for-2 extending her streak of safely reaching base to 31 games, a streak that would end in the second game of the twinbill.
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Francis Marion took a 1-0 lead in the first when Cuthbertson singled, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and crossed home on an RBI-ground out by senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson.
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King (17-12, 5-1) responded immediately with three runs in the bottom of the inning and then plated three more in the third. Trailing 7-1 in the fifth, FMU got a run back when Cuthbertson singled home junior right fielder
Katie Smith.
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Madison Walter (5-3) registered the game-one win for King. She fanned five and did not walk a batter. King was voted as the preseason co-favorite to win the 2023 crown.
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In the second contest, FMU took advantage of a King throwing error to plate an unearned run in the second. Senior designated player
Savana Rosson reached on the miscue, and her pinch runner, freshman
Anderson Thrower, later scored on a two-out RBI single to left centerfield by graduate student catcher
Reagan Glanz.
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The margin doubled to 2-0 in the fourth as senior first baseman Taylor Watson led off with a double. One out later, senior second baseman
Megan Matsil drilled a run-scoring single back up the middle to plate pinch runner
Jayla King.
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King responded immediately with six runs in the bottom of the fourth. Right fielder Haylee Dye led off with a solo homer to left center. A sacrifice fly would knot the score, before the go-ahead run scored on a two-out error by the Patriots, and second baseman Lauren Lawson capped the inning with a three-run homer.
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A solo home run by Watford in the sixth, her seventh long ball of the year, trimmed the margin to 6-3, but King tallied three in the bottom of the inning to go up 9-3. A two-out RBI-single by Karacson in the seventh accounted for the final FMU run.
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Watford finished the second contest with three hits and a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, while Karacson and Matsil both recorded two hits.
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Senior righty
Rachel Davis (11-5) was the hard-luck loser as five of the nine runs scored on her were unearned. She struck out two and did not issue a walk. Â
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Senior right-hander Nikole Counts (1-6) was the winning pitcher as she recorded a complete game.
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King University 10, Francis Marion 2 (Mar 24, 2023 at Bristol, Tenn.) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 100 01 - Â 2 Â 6 Â 4 Â Â Â (25-6, 5-2 CC)
King University..... 303 13 - 10 11 Â 0 Â Â Â (16-12, 4-1 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Jenna Walling;
Jordan Rivera(4) and
Lauren Smallwood;
Reagan Glanz.
King University - Madison Walter and Maggie Deel.
Win-Madison Walter (5-3) Â Loss-
Jenna Walling (13-2) Â T-1:30
Weather: Sunny/Windy
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King University 9, Francis Marion 4 (Mar 24, 2023 at Bristol, Tenn.) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 010 101 1 -Â 4Â 9Â 3Â Â Â (25-7, 5-3 CC)
King University..... 000 603 X -Â 9Â 9Â 2Â Â Â Â (17-12, 5-1 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Rachel Davis and
Reagan Glanz. King University - Nikole Counts and
Maggie Deel.
WP-Nikole Counts (1-6) LP-
Rachel Davis (11-5)Â T- 1:30
HR FMU_SB -
Taylor Watford.
HR KING - Haylee Dye; Lauren Lawson.
Weather: 63, windy
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