FLORENCE, SC – Senior second baseman
Megan Matsil, sophomore center fielder
Avery Bellai, and freshman third baseman
Madalyn White all registered four hits and three runs driven in to propel Francis Marion University to a doubleheader sweep of Belmont Abbey College, Wednesday evening (Mar. 29) in Conference Carolinas softball play. FMU won the opener 4-1 and the nightcap 15-7 in five innings.
Francis Marion improves to 27-9 overall and 7-5 in conference action. The Patriots will travel to Chowan University for a league doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. The next game for FMU will be April 5 at 4 p.m. against Barton College.
In the opening contest, FMU freshman right-hander
Jenna Walling (14-3) outdueled Crusader righty Addie Cox (0-3). Walling allowed only two singles and walked one with six strikeouts.
Graduate student
Reagan Glanz put Francis Marion up 1-0 in the second when she singled home senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson. Belmont Abbey knotted the score in the top of the third, but the Patriots quickly regained the advantage on an RBI-single by Matsil in the bottom of the frame.
FMU added insurance runs in the fourth (RBI-single by White) and sixth innings (sacrifice fly by junior shortstop Makalyla Cuthbertson) while Walling allowed only two baserunners over the final four frames.
White, Matsil, Bellai, and Glanz all recorded two hits in the first contest.
The second game quickly turned into a slugfest. The Crusaders (10-18, 5-7) scored twice in each of the first two innings to jump out to a 4-0 advantage.
Francis Marion then sent 16 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and scored 12 runs on 12 hits. It was the second-highest scoring inning in program history, matching a 12-run outburst during a 23-2 win over Fayetteville State University on March 23, 2018.
The inning featured both a two-run single and a run-scoring single by Bellai, an RBI-single and an RBI-triple by junior right fielder
Katie Smith, and a single and a two-run double by Matsil.
Cuthbertson and White had run-scoring hits in the fourth inning and Cuthbertson stole home plate for the second time in three games.
Senior righty
Rachel Davis (12-6) was the beneficiary of the eruption. Belmont Abbey starter Adison Yoder (6-5) was saddled with the loss.
Six different Patriots recorded two hits in the second contest: Cuthbertson, White, Matsil, Smith, Bellai, and senior first baseman
Taylor Watford.
Karacson appeared in her 200th career game for FMU in the nightcap, while Matsil made appearance No.150.
Francis Marion Univ. 4, Belmont Abbey Coll. 1 (Mar 29, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Belmont Abbey Coll.. 001 000 0 - 1 2 1 (10-17, 5-6 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 011 101 X - 4 12 0 (26-9, 6-5 CC)
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Pitchers: Belmont Abbey Coll. - Adeline Cox and Mackenzie Sprinkle. Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling and
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Jenna Walling(14-3) Loss-Adeline Cox(0-3) T-1:52 A-75
Weather: Partly Cloudy,62,Wind S @ 8mph
Francis Marion Univ. 15, Belmont Abbey Coll. 7 (Mar 29, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Belmont Abbey Coll.. 22 1 20 - 7 10 1 (10-18, 5-7 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 0(12)0 3X - 15 15 3 (27-9, 7-5 CC)
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Pitchers: Belmont Abbey Coll. - Adison Yoder; Adeline Cox(2) and Mackenzie Sprinkle.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Rachel Davis;
Jordan Rivera(4) and
Reagan Glanz.
Win-
Rachel Davis (12-6) Loss-Adison Yoder (6-5) T-2:12
Weather: Clear,62,winds SW @ 5 mph
Davis faced 3 batters in the 4th.
