Wingate, N.C.----The Francis Marion University Patriots got a pair of wins from freshman right-hander
Sydney Holland Sunday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader at Wingate University in NCAA Division II softball action. Francis Marion won by scores of 6-1 and 4-3 to improve to 6-2 on the season. The Bulldogs fall to 4-4 overall.
Game One: Francis Marion 6, Wingate 1
Sam Chiudina had a homer and three RBI to lead the FMU offense, while
Rayni Newman also homered for the Patriots.
Chelsea Welty and
Shania Domingue each added two hits, an RBI and a run scored.
Senior outfielder
Olivia Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) was one-for-three with an RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Freshman infielder
Emma Swenson (Matthews, N.C.) added a hit and a run scored for the Bulldogs.
Francis Marion got on the board in the third, with RBI singles from Welty and Domingue making it 2-0.
The Patriots scored four times in the fifth to take a six-run lead. Chiudina provided the big blow, a three-run homer to left center, while Newman followed with a solo shot to make it 6-0.
Wingate got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, when Swenson drew a one-out walk, then scored on a Smith RBI single to make the final margin 6-1.
Holland got the win, going the distance while allowing one unearned run on three hits, striking out seven and walking two. Freshman right-hander
Aubrey Reep (Eastover, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 3-1. She allowed six runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work, striking out three while falling to 3-1 on the season.
Game Two: Francis Marion 4, Wingate 3
Welty went three-for-three with three RBI and a run scored to lead the FMU offense in game two. Chiudina added an RBI, while
Briana Barzola went two-for-four with a pair of runs scored.
Freshman catcher
Jordan Floyd (Wilmington, N.C.) was one-for-three with two RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Senior infielder
Misty Doran (Century, Fla.) added a pair of doubles and an RBI, while senior
Katie McLaurin (Laurinburg, N.C.) and freshman
Jessica VonCannon (Locust, N.C.) each contributed a hit and a run scored for the Bulldogs.
Wingate scored twice in the second inning, getting a McLaurin single and VonCannon double to put runners on second and third. Floyd lined a two-out, two-run single to right center to make it 2-0.
Francis Marion responded with three runs in the top of the third to take the lead. Back-to-back singles put two on for Welty, who lined a two-run double to right center to tie it. An RBI groundout from Chiudina plated Welty to make it 3-2.
The Bulldogs started the bottom of the third with singles from
Rebekah Woods (Sylvania, Ga.) and
Mary Claire Coyne (Knoxville, Tenn.), while Doran's RBI double to right center plated Woods to tie it.
The Patriots took the lead in the top of the fifth when Barzola led off the frame with a single, then scored the go-ahead run on Welty's RBI single, making it 4-3.
Holland picked up the win in relief to move to 4-2 on the year. She allowed just three hits in five shutout innings for her second win of the day. Sophomore right-hander
Rachel Weidner (Greenville, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 1-3. She allowed four runs on six hits in seven innings of work, striking out one and walking three.
The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday, traveling to Lander for a doubleheader at 3 p.m.
