DUNCAN, SC – Junior catcher Maddie Stone delivered a pair of run-scoring singles and threw out the potential tying run attempting to steal in the seventh inning to lift eighth-seeded North Greenville University to a 4-3 upset of second-ranked and top-seeded Francis Marion University, Friday afternoon (Apr. 25) in a first-round game at the 2025 Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament.
 
The Patriots have their 22-game winning streak snapped and drop to 43-4.  FMU will drop into the losers' bracket and will play on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the Barton College/Southern Wesleyan University loser (from later Friday evening).  A win in that contest would have Francis Marion play against on Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
The double-elimination tournament is being played at Tyger River Park in Duncan, S.C.
 
Junior leftfielder Anderson Thrower and freshman designated player Rylie Gray led FMU at the plate with 3-for-3 performances.  Junior shortstop Madalyn White had a pair of hits and two runs batted in, while senior outfielder Emily Konz went 1-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to 11 games.
 
Conference Pitcher of the Year Alyssa Poston (24-2) was tagged with the loss.  The junior lefty allowed four runs (3 earned) on nine hits, while walking four and fanning seven.
 
A first-inning error on a sacrifice bunt led to a pair of North Greenville runs.  FMU answered back in the bottom of the frame when White walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
 
Gray doubled to lead off the second inning and went to third on an infield single by Thrower.  After Thrower stole second base, White lined a two-out, two-run single back up the middle to give the Patriots a 3-2 advantage.
 
Stone's run-scoring hits came with two outs in the fifth and with one-out in the seventh as NGU reassumed the lead at 4-3.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Thrower led off with a bunt single up the third base line.  However, she was then thrown out trying to steal second base.  White followed with a double to left center field and moved to third on a fly out, but NGU right-hander Kylie Rast (14-4) retired Conference Player of the Year Paige Strickland on a lineout to end the game.
 
 
North Greenville 4, #2 Francis Marion 3 (Apr 25, 2025 at Duncan, SC)
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North Greenville.... 200 010 1 -  4  9  0      (33-19)
Francis Marion...... 120 000 0 -  3  9  1      (43-4)
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Pitchers: North Greenville - Sydney Clark; Kylie Rast(1) and Maddie Stone. Francis Marion - Alyssa Poston and Kendal Miller.
Win-Kylie Rast (14-4)  Loss-Alyssa Poston (24-2)  T-2hrs  A-109
Weather: Partly cloudy
S. Clark faced 2 batters in the 1st.