FLORENCE, SC – Senior third baseman
Peyton Gale homered twice and drove in six runs to power 14th-ranked Francis Marion University to a doubleheader sweep of local-rival Coker University, winning 2-0 and 12-2, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 1) in college softball action.
Francis Marion (2-0) will play a doubleheader at Georgia College on Wednesday, with game one starting at 2 p.m. The next home game for FMU will be Saturday, Feb. 8, against Augusta University at 1 p.m.
FMU junior left-hander
Alyssa Poston (1-0) tossed a five-hit shutout in the opener. The Hartsville native struck out 10 and did not issue a walk.
Gale provided the only offense Poston needed with a two-run homer to right field in the third inning. The ball hit the top of the wall and carried over for the roundtripper.
Junior shortstop
Madalyn White, freshman designated player
Rylee Gray, and junior right field
Paige Strickland all registered two hits in the first game.
Coker senior righty Madie Andrews (0-1) was the losing pitcher, while freshman third baseman Bailee Gaskins pounded out a pair of hits, including a double.
In the second contest, FMU snapped a 1-1 deadlock with five runs in the third and six in the fourth to invoke the 8-run mercy rule.
Gale drove in the first run with a first-inning sacrifice fly and then hit a three-run homer in the third frame. Junior first baseman
Tallulah Civoniceva drilled a three-run homer to center field to highlight the six-run fourth frame.
White, Civoniceva, and senior left fielder
Emily Konz all had two hits in the second contest. Strickland added a sacrifice fly and an RBI double.
Junior right-hander
Jenna Walling (1-0) earned the game-two win for the Patriots, allowing two runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. She fanned five and walked two. Freshman righty
Aliyah Gibson recorded the final two outs of the game in her collegiate debut.
Senior left fielder Ariana Fair had a pair of hits, stole two bases, and scored both Coker runs in game two.
Gaskins (0-1) started in the circle and took the loss.
#14 Francis Marion Univ. 2, Coker University 0 (Feb 01, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coker University.... 000 000 0 - 0 5 1 (0-1)
Francis Marion Univ. 002 000 X - 2 10 0 (1-0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Coker University - Madie Andrews; Cheyenne Palmer(4) and Ashton Goodwin.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Alyssa Poston and
Kendal Miller.
Win-
Alyssa Poston (1-0) Loss-Madie Andrews (0-1) T-1:50 A-237
HR FMU_SB -
Peyton Gale.
Weather: Clear, 68, Winds S @ 10 mph
#14 Francis Marion Univ. 12, Coker University 2 (Feb 01, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coker University.... 100 01 - 2 4 0 (0-2)
Francis Marion Univ. 105 6X - 12 10 2 (2-0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Coker University - Bailee Gaskins; Brooklyn Lovin(3); Tibby Hessian(3);
Caroline Holmes(4) and Ashton Goodwin. Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling;
Aliyah Gibson(5) and
Kendal Miller;
Rylee Gray.
Win-
Jenna Walling (1-0) Loss-Bailee Gaskins (0-1) T-2:01
HR FMU_SB -
Peyton Gale (2);
Tallulah Civoniceva (1).
Weather: Clear, 69, Winds SE @ 8 mph
Bailee Gaski faced 5 batters in the 3rd.
Tibby Hessia faced 4 batters in the 4th.
