DUNCAN, SC – Francis Marion University pounded out 15 hits and senior southpaw
Alyssa Poston delivered 4.2 innings of strong relief work as the top-seeded and 11th-ranked Patriots defeated seventh-seeded University of Mount Olive 14-6 to capture their fourth straight conference championship, Sunday afternoon (Apr. 26) in the "if necessary" championship game of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament.
Francis Marion (44-11), which lost to UMO 1-0 in the semifinals on Saturday, had to beat the Trojans (31-25) twice on Sunday to claim the crown. FMU won the first championship game 9-0 in six innings earlier Sunday and then invoked the 8-run mercy rule again later in the day with the 14-6 victory.
The Patriots earn the conference's automatic to the NCAA Division II Tournament, the program's fifth consecutive invite. The tournament field will be announced on May 11 at 10 a.m., and the Patriots are in the running to host one of the two Southeast Regional events.
At the plate, the eighth and ninth batters in the FMU line-up, senior right fielder
Paige Strickland and graduate student center fielder
Mikaela Goss, both went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Goss drove in two runs, while Strickland had a pair of triples, tying a Patriot single-game record, and one RBI.
A trio of other Patriots had two hits apiece. Junior designated player
McKenzie Jewell had two hits, scored once, and drove in three runs. Senior shortstop
Madalyn White was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, while senior left fielder
Anderson Thrower was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and one RBI.
Graduate student right-hander
Jenna Walling started in the circle, but moved to first base in the second inning with the Trojans up 5-2. Walling, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, went 1-for-2 at the plate with a run scored and three RBIs.
Poston (14-2), who had blanked UMO on seven hits in the first championship game, entered the contest and earned the win. Despite having her scoreless innings streak snapped at 26.1 innings, she surrendered just one run on three hits and allowed the Patriot offense to rally. Both Poston and Thrower joined Walling on the All-Tournament Team.
UMO right-handed starter Alex Steen (19-9) took the loss in both games on Sunday.
After Walling stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first, Francis Marion scored twice in the bottom half on a 2-run single to right-center field by senior second baseman
Maddy Golka.
The Trojans scored five times in the second to take a 5-2 advantage, but the Patriots answered with three runs in their next at bat. Walling walked with the bases loaded to plate one run, before Jewell drilled a two-run double to deep center field to knot the game at 5-5.
Mount Olive plated a run in the top of the third to regain the lead at 6-5, but again FMU responded, this time with four runs in the bottom half. Walling again walked with the bases loaded the tie the game at 6-6. Jewell delivered an infield single that plated a run and two Patriot runners scored on wild pitches.
Francis Marion added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth (to go up 11-6) on an RBI-triple to right field by Strickland and on the next pitch a run-scoring single to center by Goss.
Neither team scored in the fifth, but FMU registered three runs in the last of the sixth to end the contest. Goss drove in Strickland, after her second triple, and Thrower lined an RBI-single through the left side, before Walling recorded the game-ending sacrifice fly.
Francis Marion's 15 hits matched a season-high and the team's 12 runs batted in were a season-best total.
Jenna Walling, Most Outstanding Player
Anderson Thrower, All-Tournament Team
Alyssa Poston, All-Tournament Team
