SALISBURY, NC – Junior shortstop and lead-off batter Madalyn White continued to ignite the Francis Marion University offense as she tallied three hits, five runs scored, and one driven in as the ninth-ranked Patriots swept a non-conference doubleheader from Catawba College, winning 11-1 and 6-2, Saturday afternoon (March 1) in softball action.
 
The sweep extends Francis Marion's winning streak to 14 contests as the Patriot improve to 18-2.  FMU will open Conference Carolinas play on Thursday when it hosts Barton College for a 4 p.m. Professor Appreciation Day twinbill.
 
White extended her hitting streak to 13 games with two hits in the opener and one in game two.
 
Junior left-hander Alyssa Poston (9-1) allowed only one run on three hits in 4.1 innings of work in game one, while striking out four.  Freshman righty Aliyah Gibson came on to record the final two outs as FMU invoked the 8-run mercy rule.
 
The Patriots plated three runs in the first as junior designated player Kendal Miller drove an RBI-single through the left side.  Two more runs came home when a pop up off the bat of freshman catcher Rylee Gray was dropped.
 
The margin grew to 4-0 when White scored on a throwing error in the second.  Junior first baseman Tallulah Civoniceva drilled a solo homer in the third inning to up the advantage to 5-0.
 
FMU scored six times in the fourth as Gray walked with the bases loaded, junior outfielder Anderson Thrower and senior outfielder Emily Konz both rapped out 2-run singles, and junior outfielder Paige Strickland hit a sacrifice fly.
 
Catawba pinch-hitter Jordan McCorkle hit a solo home run in the fifth to ruin the shutout.  Kate Holland (3-1) was the losing pitcher.
 
In addition to White, Konz, Miller, and senior third baseman Peyton Gale all had two hits in game one.
 
An RBI-double to center field by Konz staked Francis Marion to a 1-0 advantage in the third inning of game two.  Catawba right fielder Brianna Gallagher hit the first of her two solo homers in the fourth to deadlock the contest at 1-1.
 
White created the go-ahead run in the fifth.  She doubled with one out, moved to third on a foul out, and scored on a throwing error by losing pitcher Alex Baquie (3-5).
 
In the sixth, FMU scored four times to take a 6-1 lead.  Civoniceva doubled in a run and pinch hitter Samantha Turnage plated a run with an infield grounder that saw a second run also score when the ball was misplayed.  White accounted for the final tally with a sacrifice fly.
 
Gallagher homered in the bottom of the sixth to conclude the scoring.  Catawba drops to 9-9 on the season.
 
FMU junior right-hander Jenna Walling (6-1) earned the complete-game win.  She allowed just four hits and struck out eight.