MURFREESBORO, NC – Senior first baseman
Taylor Watford registered six hits and drove in eight runs to lead Francis Marion University to a doubleheader sweep of Chowan University, Saturday afternoon (Apr. 1) in Conference Carolinas softball play. FMU won the opener 14-0 and the second contest 18-1 in five innings.
Francis Marion ups its overall record to 29-9 and its conference mark to 9-5. The Patriots will host Barton College for a conference twinbill on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
FMU freshman right-hander
Jenna Walling (15-3) tossed a one-hitter in the opener. The Johns Island native allowed only a fifth-inning single, while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
Watford, native of Lamar and a product of Hartsville High School, was 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, and three RBIs, while senior second baseman
Megan Matsil was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two driven in. Junior shortstop
Makayla Cuthbertson also had three hits and scored twice. Four other Patriots had two hits apiece.
FMU batted around in the top of the first in game one and scored five times. After three consecutive walks loaded the bases, Matsil stroked a two-run single and senior designated player
Savana Rosson followed with an RBI-double. Matsil scored the fourth run on a wild pitch and graduate student catcher
Reagan Glanz plated the fifth run with an infield RBI-single.
The margin increased to 6-0 in the third when junior right fielder
Katie Smith sent a liner into shallow right that eluded a diving fielder and the Greenwood native ended up on third with a triple. She then came home on a sacrifice fly by sophomore center fielder
Avery Bellai.
The Patriots batted around again in the seventh scoring eight times. Freshman third baseman
Madalyn White singled home a run and Watford followed with a three-run homer over the right-center field wall. Senior left fielder
Danielle Karacson doubled home two runs and Smith and Bellai each rapped out run-scoring singles to account for the final tally.
In the second contest, Francis Marion scored at least two runs in every inning en route to the 18-1 victory. Patriot senior righty
Rachel Davis (13-6) surrender only one run on four hits, while fanning six.
Watford was 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, and five RBIs. Cuthbertson, Matsil, and Rosson all recorded two hits with Rosson driving in three. Matsil now has an eight-game hitting streak and has now reached base safely in each of the past 19 contests.
A sacrifice fly by Matsil and an RBI-single by Rosson staked FMU to a 2-0 first-inning lead. That increased to 5-0 in the second when Matsil singled home one run and Rosson doubled in two.
A two-run triple by Cuthbertson highlighted a four-run third that upped the advantage to 9-0. Watford cleared the bases with a three-run double as part of five-run fourth frame, and freshman
Mikaela Goss collected her first career hit and RBI during the four-run fifth inning.
Francis Marion 14, Chowan 0 (Apr 01, 2023 at Murfreesboro, NC) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 501 000 8 - 14 19 2 (28-9, 8-5 CC)
Chowan................. 000 000 0 - 0 1 0 (15-15, 2-7 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Jenna Walling and
Reagan Glanz. Chowan - Bailey Wilcox; Alex Bishop(1); Haley Jensen(7) and Lindsey Richter.
Win-
Jenna Walling (15-3) Loss-Bailey Wilcox (7-9) T-2:40 A-54
HR FMU_SB -
Taylor Watford.
Weather: 75 and windy
Francis Marion 18, Chowan 1 (Apr 01, 2023 at Murfreesboro, NC) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 234 54 - 18 15 0 (29-9, 9-5 CC)
Chowan................ 000 10 - 1 4 3 (15-16, 2-8 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion -
Rachel Davis and
Reagan Glanz. Chowan - Haileigh Boone; Kendyl Elliott(3); Alex Bishop(4) and Kira Soodek.
Win-
Rachel Davis (13-6) Loss-Haileigh Boone (6-6) T-2:33 A-46
HR CU - Serena Riley.
Weather: 75 windy
