GAME ONE BOX SCORE GAME TWO BOX SCORE
Wingate, N.C.----The Francis Marion University Patriots swept a doubleheader against the Bulldogs Wednesday afternoon in NCAA Division II softball action. The Patriots won the first game 1-0 in eight innings, then won game two 6-3. FMU is 6-1 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-2.
Game #1: Francis Marion 1, Wingate 0 (8 innings)
The first game was full of missed opportunities, with the two teams combining to leave 25 runners on base. The Bulldogs stranded 14 base runners, loading the bases in the first two innings without being able to plate a run.
Junior infielder Ashley Jaramillo (Canyon Country, Calif.) was two-for-three with an RBI to spark the Francis Marion offense, while junior outfielder Destinea Schneider (Jacksonville, Fla.) added a three-for-four game.
Sophomore outfielder Kasey Pendley (Marion, N.C.) was two-for-five to lead the Wingate offense. Freshman outfielder Hayley Whitley (Monroe, N.C.) was one-for-two with a double, while also drawing a pair of walks.
Wingate threatened right away, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the first. Senior infielder Emily Chavis (Berkeley Lake, Ga.) ripped one down the line, but Francis Marion senior third baseman Jessica Hogan (Asheboro, N.C.) made the play, starting a 5-2-3 double play to get the Patriots out of the first.
The Patriots loaded the bases in the third, but Wingate senior right-hander Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) induced a groundout to get out of the jam. Smith induced another bases-loaded groundout to escape the fifth inning. The ‘Dogs had a great opportunity in the sixth, when Pendley singled down the right field line with Whitley on second, but Francis Marion freshman right fielder Carson Summersett (Florence, S.C.) threw Whitley out at home with a perfect throw.
Wingate had runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh, but senior pinch-runner Jessica McCraw (Columbia, S.C.) was picked off at third when a 1-0 pitch squirted away from FMU catcher Olivia Ferguson (Roanoke, Va.).
Sophomore Kayla Bowie (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) was placed on second to start the eighth, via the International Tiebreaker rule. She scored the game’s only run on an RBI single up the middle from Jaramillo.
The Bulldogs had runners on second and third in their half of the eighth, but FMU senior right-hander Cea Knox (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) induced a groundout to end the game.
Knox got the win in relief, pitching the final 4 2/3 innings without allowing a run on three hits while striking out three. Smith took the tough loss for the Bulldogs, allowing one unearned run on seven hits in eight innings, striking out four.
Game #2: Francis Marion 6, Wingate 3
Ferguson was two-for-two with an RBI and two runs scored to spark the FMU offense. Schneider and freshman outfielder Sara Broderick (Sunrise, Fla.) each went two-for-four with a run scored, while junior infielder Megann Sallinger (Marietta, Ga.) was one-for-three with a homer.
Junior infielder Maureen Sandidge (Sarasota, Fla.) was two-for-four with a triple, two RBI and a run scored to lead the Wingate offense. Whitley went one-for-three with a run scored, while junior catcher Brittany Barrineau (Monroe, N.C.) went one-for-one and reached base three times.
The Patriots plated four runs in the second inning, starting with a leadoff homer from Sallinger. Broderick added an RBI single, while the last two runs scored on an error and a wild pitch.
An RBI single from Ferguson in the sixth made it 5-0, while the Patriots took a six-run lead on a wild pitch. Wingate got on the board in the bottom of the inning, starting with an RBI triple from Sandidge. Senior infielder Gina Ager (Columbia, Md.) drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-2.
Another RBI single from Sandidge made it 6-3 in the seventh. The Bulldogs got the tying run to the plate, but sophomore left-hander Murphy McConnell (Milton, Ga.) struck out the final batter to end the game, notching the save.
Knox collected her second win of the day, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Freshman right-hander Ashley Brown (Murrells Inlet, S.C.) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits in two innings of work, striking out one to fall to 1-1 on the season.
Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to Armstrong Atlantic State for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. Francis Marion travels to Georgia Southwestern Saturday for a 1 p.m. start.
