FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University won in walk-off fashion in the first game, 6-5, and then got a great pitching performance out of Samantha Wroblewski to take game two, 3-0, in a Peach Belt Conference softball doubleheader sweep of Flagler College Sunday afternoon at the FMU Softball Stadium.
Francis Marion has won seven of its last eight games to improve to 17-7 overall and 2-2 in the Peach Belt. Flagler had its four-game winning streak snapped as it falls to 16-11 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
In the opener, the Saints started the seventh inning trailing 5-4.
Mallory Allen led off with a double down the left field line.
Brielle Dougherty came on to run for Allen. Two batters later,
Tori Volz hit a single back up the middle to score Dougherty to tie the game at 5-all.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Patriots were facing Flagler closer
Tinsley Smith. Shannon Lopez led off with a single to left-center and then Smith walked the next two batters to load the bases. Mikala Barnhart hit a ground ball to third base where
Malloree Escue fired a throw to home plate for the force out, but Flagler catcher
Mackenzie Conley lost her grip on the ball in the transition from her glove to her hand, after the out was recorded, and the ball rolled to the backstop allowing Taylor Johnson to score from second base to win the game.
Shelby Kelly (9-6) pitched a complete game and she scattered seven hits and allowed three earned runs. She fanned four.
The Patriots finished with 10 hits, all of which were singles. Johnson went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Kaylee Childers also had two singles and she knocked in two runs. Briana Barzola finished with a pair of singles and she scored a run.
Smith (2-1) picked up the loss in relief. She tossed 2.1 innings and surrendered five hits and three earned runs.
Haleigh Corbally started and tossed four innings with four strikeouts.
Whitney Woodard went 2-for-4 with a triple and she scored a run. Conley socked a three-run home run in the fourth inning to give Flagler a 4-2 lead.
In game two, Wroblewski (8-1) retired the first 16 of 17 batters as she tossed a complete game three-hit shutout. She did not walk a batter and had one strikeout, but she induced 12 fly outs and eight more ground outs.
The Patriots supplied Wroblewski with all the runs she would need in the first inning. Barzola led off with a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Mykah Nevin had a sacrifice fly in the inning.
Francis Marion added an insurance run in the second.
The Patriots only mustered four hits, but Johnson had a double and Childers hit a triple.
Callie Reed (6-4) took the loss in the circle for the Saints. She pitched two innings, allowed three hits and three runs. She walked two batters.
Tinsley Smith tossed four innings of scoreless relief and allowed only one hit with three strikeouts.
Flagler has three home Peach Belt Conference doubleheaders coming up, starting with Wednesday's (March 9) twinbill against the University of South Carolina Aiken at 5 p.m. at Flagler Field.
