YOUNG HARRIS, GA – Senior second baseman
Maddy Golka hit a three-run homer to back the five-hit pitching of senior right-hander
Jenna Walling as 10th-ranked Francis Marion University downed Young Harris College 5-1 en route to a split of Saturday's (March 14) Conference Carolinas softball doubleheader. The Mountain Lions won the second contest 3-1.
Francis Marion (23-8, 8-4) will return home for three doubleheaders this week, beginning with a Monday twinbill against Lenoir-Rhyne University at 2 p.m.
In Saturday's opener, Walling (16-5) scattered the five hits and allowed just one unearned run, while striking out six. She also produced two hits at the plate, scored once, and drove in a run.
Most of the offense occurred in the first inning, with FMU scoring four times and the Mountain Lions once.
Senior shortstop
Madalyn White led off the top of the first with an infield single. After an out, junior designated hitter
McKenzie Jewell singled, and then both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Walling followed with a run-scoring single to put FMU on the board. Later with two outs, Golka launched her three-run homer to up the advantage to 4-0.
In the bottom of the frame, two Patriot errors allowed Young Harris to plate their unearned run.
In the fourth inning, two walks and a sacrifice bunt preceded a sacrifice fly by senior center fielder
Mikaela Goss that extended the lead to 5-1.
Despite the Patriots stranding five runners in scoring position over the final three innings, Walling retired eight of the final nine batters she faced to close out the contest.
Isabella Pecorilli (1-4) was the game-one losing pitcher.
In the second game, Young Harris (16-12, 8-2) used its own first-inning homer to take control. First baseman Gracie Hughes hit a two-run shot to stake the Mountain Lions to a 2-0 lead. A single run in the fourth inning upped the margin to 3-0.
Francis Marion, which left runners in scoring position in both the second and third frames, got on the board in the fifth inning. Goss led off with a walk, moved to second on a passed ball, and took third on an infield single by senior left fielder
Anderson Thrower. She then scored when Thrower got caught in a run-down between first and second base.
FMU got two runners aboard in the top of the seventh, but were unable to push any more runs across.
Walling pitched a complete game in the second contest as well, and allowed only four hits with three strikeouts. Walling added another hit at the plate to extend her hitting streak to five games and her streak of safely reaching base to eight games.
Mountain Lion righty Julia Moore (8-2) limited FMU to four hits, although she did issue five walks.
