FLORENCE, SC – Junior right-hander
Jenna Walling pitched her second consecutive two-hitter and earned her first career save as 12th-ranked Francis Marion University swept a non-conference doubleheader from USC Beaufort, winning 4-3 and 9-1 on Wednesday evening (Feb. 12) in softball action.
Francis Marion (8-2) will play next at 17th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m.
Walling (4-1) tossed her two-hitter in the second contest as FMU won 9-1 by the mercy rule in six innings. She struck out seven and walked two.
Junior right fielder
Paige Strickland and junior shortstop
Madalyn White both had two hits, with Strickland driving in one run and scoring twice and White scoring twice.
White doubled to lead off the bottom of the first, stole third, and came home on RBI-single by senior left fielder
Emily Konz. The Patriots plated four runs in the fourth – highlighted by a two-run pinch hit single by junior
Anderson Thrower and a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman
Rylie Webster – to assume a 5-0 advantage.
FMU scored once in the fifth to up the margin to 6-0. After USCB (7-3) scored its lone run in the top of the sixth, Francis Marion ended the contest with three tallies in the bottom half of the frame. Konz drove in a second run with an infielder grounder and Strickland plated the final run with a sacrifice fly.
Sand Shark starter Cassie Brundage (2-1) was tagged with the loss.
In Wednesday's opener, Walling entered the contest in the top of the seventh with FMU leading 4-3, two outs and two runners on, and a 2-0 count on USCB third baseman Mariah Stephens. Walling eventually walked Stephens to load the bases, but got shortstop Katelyn Boyette to ground out to third to the end the game. It was her first career save in 63 appearances.
Patriot lefty
Alyssa Poston (4-1) earned the win as fhe fanned six and walked one.
White led off the FMU first with a single. She stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman
Tallulah Civoniceva. USC Beaufort tied the game at 1-1 on an RBI-double from Boyette in the top of the second.
Francis Marion scored a single run in the fourth on junior designated player
Emma Moberg's run-scoring double to left center. Senior third baseman
Peyton Gale clouted a two-run homer to center field in the fifth to up the margin to 4-1.
Boyette laced a run-scoring single in the sixth and came all the way around to score on a fielding error to trim the margin to 4-3 and set the stage for the top of the seventh.
Strickland registered a pair of doubles and scored once in game one, while White scored twice.
Southpaw Cierra Kinlaw (3-1) took the loss despite surrendering only six hits.
#12 Francis Marion Univ. 4, USC Beaufort 3 (Feb 12, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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USC Beaufort........ 010 002 0 - 3 9 0 (7-2)
Francis Marion Univ. 100 120 X - 4 6 2 (7-2)
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Pitchers: USC Beaufort - Kinlaw, Cierra and Reynolds, Addie. Francis Marion Univ. -
Alyssa Poston;
Jenna Walling(7) and
Marlee McCormick;
Rylee Gray.
Win-
Alyssa Poston(4-1) Save-
Jenna Walling(1) Loss-Kinlaw, Cierra(3-1) T-2:11 A-29
HR FMU_SB -
Peyton Gale (3).
Weather: 45, Mist, Winds SW @ 5 mph
#12 Francis Marion Univ. 9, USC Beaufort 1 (Feb 12, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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USC Beaufort........ 000 001 - 1 2 2 (7-3)
Francis Marion Univ. 100 413 - 9 7 1 (8-2)
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Pitchers: USC Beaufort - Brundage, Cassie; Ramirez, Abigail(4); Morgan, Emily(4) and
Stradinger, MJ. Francis Marion Univ. -
Jenna Walling and
Marlee McCormick.
Win-
Jenna Walling(4-1) Loss-Brundage, Cassie(2-1) T-2:20 A-0
Weather: 44, Mist, SW @ 8 mph
