FLORENCE, SC – Juniors
Kendal Miller and
Paige Strickland both registered four hits and five runs batted in and junior lefty
Alyssa Poston pitched nine shutout innings as eighth-ranked Francis Marion University swept a Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader from Barton College on Thursday evening (March 6). Poston pitched a four-hitter as FMU won the opener 7-0 and Strickland delivered a tie-breaking three-run triple as the Patriots took the nightcap 10-6.
Francis Marion improves to 20-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play with its 16th consecutive win. The Patriots will play at Barton on Wednesday at 1 p.m. for a back-to-back series.
Poston (11-1) struck out nine and did not issue a walk in Thursday's first contest.
Strickland, Miller, senior center fielder
Emily Konz, and freshman catcher
Rylee Gray all recorded two hits, with Strickland and Miller diving in two apiece, FMU scored in every inning.
The Patriots scored an unearned run in the first on an RBI-double by Miller. The margin grew to 2-0 in the second when junior shortstop
Madalyn White singled home Gray. A second run-scoring double by Miller upped the advantage to 3-0 in the third.
Konz and Strickland stroked RBI-singles in the fourth and Gray added a run-scoring single up the middle in the fifth as FMU went ahead 6-0.
A sacrifice fly by Strickland in the sixth accounted for the final tally. Strickland is tied for the national lead in that category with five.
Barton starter Kierstin Cooper (5-6) was the losing pitcher.
The Bulldogs (8-10, 0-2) scored single runs in the first and second innings of game two to take a 2-0 lead. Francis Marion answered with two runs each in the second, third, and fourth frames to assume a 6-2 advantage. Barton knotted the score at 6-6 with a four-run fifth inning.
Strickland laced an 0-2 pitch into the right-centerfield gap for a tie-breaking three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth. Miller followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Strickland for the final 10-6 margin.
FMU sophomore right-hander
Abby Williams started for the Patriots and was relieved by junior righty
Jenna Walling in the second. Poston came on to pitch the final two frames and earned the win.
Konz paced FMU with three hits, two runs scored, and two driven in the second contest, while both Miller and Strickland had two hits and three RBIs. Miller cranked a solo homer to right center to start the scoring in the second.
Junior second baseman
Rylie Webster and junior left fielder
Anderson Thrower also had a pair of hits each in game two.
White had a hit in each game to extend her hitting streak to 15 contests.
Barton sophomore right-hander Ali Bunch (0-1) was tagged with the game-two loss after entering in the third inning.
#8 Francis Marion Univ. 7, Barton College 0 (Mar 06, 2025 at Florence, SC)
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Barton College........ 000 000 0 - 0 4 3 (8-9, 0-1 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 111 211 X - 7 10 0 (19-2, 1-0 CC)
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Pitchers: Barton College - Kierstin Cooper; Emily Bobo(3); Ali Bunch(5) and Sydney Wade.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Alyssa Poston and
Rylee Gray.
Win-
Alyssa Poston (10-1) Loss-Kierstin Cooper (5-6) T-1:48 A-77
Weather: 58,Clear,Windy,Winds SE@19 mph
#8 Francis Marion Univ. 10, Barton College 6 (Mar 06, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Barton College.......... 110 040 0 - 6 11 1 (8-10, 0-2 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 022 204 X - 10 13 3 (20-2, 2-0 CC)
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Pitchers: Barton College - Ronnetta Gurley; Ali Bunch(3) and Sydney Wade.
Francis Marion Univ. -
Abby Williams;
Jenna Walling(2);
Alyssa Poston(6) and
Rylee Gray.
Win-
Alyssa Poston (11-1) Loss-Ali Bunch (0-1) T-2:14
HR FMU_SB -
Kendal Miller (2).
Weather: Clear,56,Winds SE @13 mph
R. Gurley faced 3 batters in the 3rd.
