FLORENCE, SC – Senior first baseman
Taylor Watford homered twice and drove in eight runs to set a new Francis Marion University single-season RBI record and to lead the Patriots to a sweep of Chowan University, Tuesday evening (Apr. 9) in Conference Carolinas softball action. The Patriots won the opener 8-0 in five innings and the second game 11-4.
Francis Marion, winners of 11 straight contests, is now 35-8 overall and a conference-best 14-2 in league play. For the third consecutive week, the Patriots led the other schools receiving votes in this week's NFCA Top 25 poll.
FMU will play a twinbill at King University on Saturday at noon in Bristol, Tenn. Friday's conference doubleheader at Lees-McRae College has been moved to Sunday (Apr. 14) at 1 p.m. due to inclement weather.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher
Alyssa Poston (20-3) tossed a one-hitter in game. She retired the first 13 batters she faced and came within two outs of the first perfect game by a Patriot in 14 seasons, and within two outs of her third no-hitter this season. She finished with six strikeouts.
Poston becomes the tenth 20-game winner in program history, and the first southpaw to record that feat in 14 seasons.
Senior catcher
Lauren Smallwood and junior second baseman
Peyton Gale both had two hits in game one for FMU.
Senior right fielder
Katie Smith gave FMU a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a sacrifice fly. A sac fly by Gale in the third doubled the margin to 2-0.
The fly balls went a little further in the fourth inning as Francis Marion exploded for six runs on three homers. Smallwood lined a solo homer to left center with one out and five batters later, Watford crushed a grand slam just inside the left field fair/foul pole. Gale followed with a solo shot to left to complete the scoring.
Junior shortstop
Makayla Cuthbertson scored twice in game one to reach 100 runs scored in only 97 games as a Patriot.
In the second contest, sophomore designated player
Anderson Thrower led the way with three hits, while Watford, junior left fielder
Emily Konz, and sophomore center fielder
Mikaela Goss had two hits.
Watford doubled home Konz in the bottom of the first to start the scoring. Goss lined a triple to right field that scored Watford and Goss also scored when the relay throw was wild.
Chowan (6-25, 2-14) scored twice in the top of the second to draw within 3-2, but the Patriots answered with two runs in their half of the inning. Konz drove in one run with an infield single and a second run scored on a throwing error.
Again the Hawks scored twice to creep within 5-4 in the fourth, but Gale's two-out RBI single to center pushed the FMU lead back to 6-4.
FMU plated four runs in the fifth inning to expand its lead to 10-4. Thrower reached on a bunt single and later scored on a wild pitch. One batter later, Watford hit a three-run homer over the left centerfield wall. In only 38 games this season, the Lamar native has 11 home runs and 66 runs batted in, breaking the old record of 65 RBIs set just last season by
Danielle Karacson.
In less than two seasons, Watford also moved into eighth place on the FMU career RBIs list with 125, passing former Patriot infielder Tatjana Slawson. Watford also moved into a tie for sixth place on the career home runs list with 23, joining Jessica Harney and Allie Aleman.
A run-scoring single by Thrower scored Smith with the final run in the sixth inning.
Sophomore right-hander
Jenna Walling, a 20-game winner last season, earned the game-two victory with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. She retired 11 of the 12 batters she faced, including two strikeouts, and upped her season record to 13-2.
Sophomore third baseman
Madalyn White reached base safely in each game to extend her streak of safely reaching base to 27 consecutive games.
Francis Marion Univ. 8, Chowan University 0 (Apr 09, 2024 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Chowan University... 000 00 - 0 1 0 (6-24, 2-13 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 011 6X - 8 7 0 (34-8, 13-2 CC)
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Pitchers: Chowan University - Alex Bishop; Haley Jensen(4) and Sophia Medina.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Alyssa Poston and
Lauren Smallwood.
Win-
Alyssa Poston(20-3) Loss-Alex Bishop(2-8) T-1:20 A-50
HR FMU_SB -
Taylor Watford (10);
Peyton Gale (5);
Lauren Smallwood (5).
Weather: Overcast,67,Wind SE@5 mph
Francis Marion Univ. 11, Chowan University 4 (Apr 09, 2024 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Chowan University... 020 200 0 - 4 6 5 (6-25, 2-14 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 320 141 X - 11 11 1 (35-8, 14-2 CC)
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Pitchers: Chowan University - Calliope James; Kendyl Elliott(5); Emily Fowler(6) and
Lenita Bryson; Sophia Medina. Francis Marion Univ. -
Abby Williams;
Jenna Walling(4) and
Lauren Smallwood;
Kendal Miller.
Win-
Jenna Walling (13-2) Loss-Calliope James (1-5) T-2:15
HR FMU_SB -
Taylor Watford (11).
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 66, NW 3 MPH
