Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-After posting a 9-0 victory in five innings in the first game visiting Francis Marion University rallied from a late two-run deficit to complete a non-conference doubleheader sweep of host Barton College with a 6-4 win in the second game at Gillette Park Thursday afternoon.
The Patriots won for the 12th and 13th time in their last 14 tries to improve to 24-8 overall. The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 7-12.
Junior Elizabeth Webb led Barton going 5-for-6 including one double. Classmate Amber Weaver hit her first home run in a Royal Blue and White uniform after transferring to Barton this year.
Junior Tristan Faile provided much of FMU's offense with five hits including a home run in each game. Faile knocked in seven Patriots and scored three times.
Francis Marion scored one run in the second, three more in the third and five more times in the fourth to pull away for the run-rule victory in the opener. Faile had four RBI including a three-run blast to center in the fourth.
Webb had both of the Lady Bulldogs hits in the first game including a double off the base of the right-field fence in the first and single down the left field line in the fourth.
The Patriots scored one run in each of the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead in the night cap that featured a solo home run by senior Ashley Jaramillo in the first and an RBI-triple by sophomore Sara Broderick in the second.
Weaver finally put Barton on the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the second when she crushed the first pitch she saw to the center field yard.
Barton then took a 4-2 lead with three runs on a sloppy play by Francis Marion in the third. Freshman Heather Gatton led off the frame with a double to center and moved to third on single by Webb. Senior Stacy Wade then knocked in Gatton with a single to left. The Patriots left fielder attempted to Webb out at second base but overthrew her target that allowed the Bulldogs to advance, which was then compounded when the right fielder recovered the ball and then missed her target at third base that sent Wade home. The play was not done there as the third baseman next picked up the ball and made a rushed errant throw home that plate Wade.
The Patriots were charged with three throwing errors on the play and both of Barton's go-ahead runs were unearned.
The Bulldogs remained ahead until a two-run bash by Faile knotted the score at 4-4 in the fifth.
Faile and Jaramillo both have six long balls on the season.
The Patriots then took the lead with two more runs in the sixth that was helped by a fielding error.
The Bulldogs attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh when Gatton walked and Webb singled with one out but a pair of groundouts end the day.
