FLORENCE, SC – Senior left fielder Danielle Karacson drilled a pair of game-ending solo homers, both to center field, as Francis Marion University swept a doubleheader from visiting Barton College, Wednesday evening (Apr. 5) in Conference Carolinas softball play.  FMU won the opener 8-0 in five innings and the nightcap 8-7.
 
Francis Marion improves to 31-9 with its sixth straight win and moves into fourth place in the conference standings at 11-5.  The Patriots will travel to first-place Emmanuel College for a 1 p.m. conference twinbill on Friday, April 14.
 
The second contest was a hard-fought affair that saw the Bulldogs (16-18, 7-7) build a 6-2 advantage after three innings.
 
Barton scored three times in the top of the first, but FMU answered with a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Taylor Watford in the bottom half to make the score 3-1.  A run-scoring double to left center by FMU red-shirt freshman right fielder Paige Strickland in the second trimmed the margin to 3-2.
 
Bulldog designated player Gracelyn Massey hit a three-run homer off the big scoreboard in left field to expand the Barton lead to 6-2 in the third.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, the Patriots exploded for five runs to take a 7-6 advantage.  Sophomore center fielder Avery Bellai lined an opposite field two-run homer to left center that got the Patriots within 6-4.  Later in the frame, two singles and a walk loaded the bases and Karacson cleared them with a ringing three-run double to the right centerfield gap that gave FMU a 7-6 advantage.
 
Barton rallied in the seventh to knot the score as pinch runner Elyse Brinn scored on a one-out RBI-single by first baseman Sloane Correa, just beating the throw and tag at home plate.  With runners on second and third and two outs, the third out of the inning was called when the trail runner interfered with junior shortstop Makayla Cuthbertson trying to field a grounder.
 
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Karacson drilled an 0-2 pitch from Bulldog righty Miranda Holmes (3-6) over the center field wall to set off a wild celebration at home plate.
 
Karacson finished the second contest 2-for-3 with four RBIs, while senior second baseman Megan Matsil was 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Strickland recorded her first multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 performance.
 
FMU freshman right-hander Jordan Rivera (2-0) picked up the win in relief.  She allowed just the one run (seventh inning) on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings or work.
 
Cuthbertson also turned in the defensive play of the night in the sixth inning, when she made a diving stop behind the second base bag and flipped the ball with her glove to Matsil covering for a force out.
 
In the opener, Cuthbertson registered three hits from her leadoff spot and scored three times, while freshman third baseman Madalyn White had two hits and two RBIs from the two-hole spot in the line-up. 
 
FMU freshman right-hander Jenna Walling (16-3) overcame a shaky start to retire 11 of the final 12 batters she faced en route to her fourth career shutout.  She allowed six singles, but did not issue a walk and did not record a strikeout.
 
Cuthbertson led off the FMU first inning with a triple and scored on a single by White.  After Walling escaped a bases-loaded no-out situation in the top of the second, FMU scored twice in the third frame.  A sacrifice fly by Watford plated the first run and the speedy Cuthbertson scored from second on the same play as another runner was caught in a rundown.  That upped the lead to 3-0.
 
Five runs in the bottom of the fifth ended the game by the mercy rule.  White drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.  Two batters later, Matsil drilled a three-run homer over the center field wall, and after a strikeout, Karacson ended the game with a solo shot to nearly the identical spot in center.
 
The two home runs give Karacson 10 for the season, only the ninth time in program history a player has reached double figures in a season.  Her second-game double extended her school career record for two-baggers to 58, and her five RBIs on the day move her into third place on the FMU career list with 139, passing former four-time All-American outfielder Kim Booker. 
 
Karacson's game-two walk brought her to within one of the all-time program mark in the category, currently 85 held by former shortstop Taylor Johnson (2016-19).  She also stands third all-time in program history with 204 games started.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Barton College 0 (Apr 05, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Barton College...... 000 00 -  0  6  2      (16-17, 7-6 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 102 05 -  8  8  0      (30-9, 10-5 CC)
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Pitchers: Barton College - Miranda Holmes; Rilee Jones(5) and Sydney Wade.
Francis Marion Univ. - Jenna Walling and Lauren Smallwood.
Win-Jenna Walling (16-3)  Loss-Miranda Holmes (3-5)  T-1:28  A-135
HR FMU_SB - Megan Matsil (1); Danielle Karacson (9).
Weather: sunny, 87, winds N @ 8 mph

 
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Barton College 7 (Apr 05, 2023 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Barton College...... 303 000 1 -  7 13  1      (16-18, 7-7 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 110 500 1 -  8  9  1      (31-9, 11-5 CC)
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Pitchers: Barton College - Kierstin Cooper; Rilee Jones(2); Miranda Holmes(4) and Sydney Wade.
Francis Marion Univ. - Rachel Davis; Jordan Rivera(3) and Reagan Glanz.
Win-Jordan Rivera (2-0)  Loss-Miranda Holmes (3-6)  T-2:22
HR BARTON - Gracelyn Massey (3).
HR FMU_SB - Danielle Karacson (10); Avery Bellai (4).
Weather: sunny, 85, winds N @ 9 mph