DUNCAN, SC – Senior southpaw Alyssa Poston pitched a seven-hit shutout and senior shortstop Madalyn White broke a scoreless deadlock with a three-run triple as top-seeded and 11th-ranked Francis Marion University blanked seventh-seeded University of Mount Olive 9-0, Sunday afternoon (Apr. 26) in the first championship game at the 2026 Conference Carolinas Softball Tournament.
 
With the win, Francis Marion (43-11) forces a second title game at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, as it was the first loss for UMO (31-24).  The tournament is being played at Tyger Park in Duncan, S.C.
 
Poston (13-2) extended her scoreless innings streak to 25 innings as she struck out two and did not issue a walk.  The Trojans had runners on base in every inning but the fourth, but Poston was up to the task.
 
Senior left fielder Anderson Thrower led FMU with a perfect 4-for-4 day, while graduate student Rylie Webster had two hits, scored three times, and drove in one run.  Sophomore catcher Rylee Gray managed two hits, including a double, and she plated three runs.
 
Francis Marion loaded the bases in the third, but Mount Olive junior right-hander Alex Steen (19-8) retired the next batter on a soft liner.
 
The Patriots loaded the bases again in the fourth.  The second runner being a walk by senior right fielder Paige Strickland, who battled back from a 1-2 count to earn the free pass.  Graduate student center fielder Mikaela Goss hit a 1-2 pitch for an infield single to shortstop.  White followed by drilling a 1-2 pitch over the leftfielder's head for a bases-clearing triple and a 3-0 advantage.  Senior left fielder Anderson Thrower hit the next pitch for an infield single scoring White with a fourth run.
 
A lead-off walk to junior designated player McKenzie Jewell in the fifth chased Steen – who had shut out the Patriots on Saturday.  Webster singled through the left side and senior second baseman Maddy Golka was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the third consecutive inning.  Gray then cranked a two-run double to left-center field upping the FMU advantage to 7-0.
 
Anderson led off the sixth inning with her fourth hit, a high hopper over the third baseman's head, and Webster singled through the left side before Golka laced a two-out two-run double down the left field line for a 9-0 lead.
 
Poston allowed a lead-off single in the bottom of the sixth, but set down the next three batters to end the game via the 8-run mercy rule.