Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – The close losses for the Barton College softball team continued to pile up on Thursday as the Lady Bulldogs suffered two more at the hands of Francis Marion University, 3-2 and 4-2.
Barton (11-18) has now lost eight one-run games and three two-run contests on the season, including several against quality opponents like the Patriots (27-15).
The Lady Bulldogs enjoyed a 1-0 lead for most of game 1 before FMU scored all three of its runs in the fifth inning to jump in front.
The second contest was also a one-run game until the seventh, when the Patriots tacked on an insurance run. Barton had multiple opportunities to grab the lead in the contest but left 10 runners on base.
Barton received solid pitching efforts from both senior Liz White and freshman Hannah Jones. Those two players also provided their own offensive support, with Jones delivering four hits in the doubleheader and White driving in both BC runs in the nightcap.
Game 1: Francis Marion 3, Barton 2
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when junior Kelsie Conner drilled a 1-1 pitch from Francis Marion pitcher Samantha Wroblewski over the fence in center field for her second homer of the year.
Both teams threatened in the third inning only to come up empty. Kaylee Childers and Taylor Johnson both singled and stole a base to move into scoring position for the Patriots, but White retired Taylor Brunson on a fly ball to left to end the inning.
BC then loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame after Jones and Rachel Jordan produced consecutive singles and Conners drew a four-pitch walk. Crystal Britton followed with a sharply hit line drive, but it was right at the second baseman Brunson to end the inning.
Francis Marion finally broke through against White in the fifth. Childers drew a leadoff walk, and Mikala Barnhart beat out a bunt single dropped just in front of home plate. Both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt, and Johnson drove in the game-tying run with a single to right.
Barnhart advanced to third on the hit, and Johnson stole second to put two runners into scoring position. Mykah Nevin, one of FMU's leading RBI producers and a .356 hitter, then delivered two more runs with a single to right-center, increasing Francis Marion's lead to 3-1.
The Lady Bulldogs bounced right back with a run in the bottom of the inning, as Megan Kelly beat out an infield single to short, moved to second on Taylor Bowden's sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to left by Jones.
Sydney Speight beat out an infield single to start Barton's final at-bat in the seventh, but Barton stranded her there after Wroblewski retired the next three batters in order to end the game. Wroblewski (14-3) scattered eight hits, gave up two runs, walked one and struck out five.
White (7-9), who had a three-game winning streak snapped, gave up seven hits in suffering the loss. Johnson, Nevin and Barnhart accounted for six of the seven hits. White walked two and also struck out two.
Game 2: Francis Marion 4, Barton 2
Like the first game of the twinbill, Barton jumped out in front 1-0 in the second inning of game two. This time it didn't come on a home run, but instead on a bases-loaded walk to White. The Lady Bulldogs were helped by a Francis Marion error and a bunt single by Samantha Bass.
Francis Marion pitcher Shelby Kelley avoided far worse damage, however, by getting a fielder's choice groundout off the bat of Sydney Speight and a fly ball to center by Kelly to end the inning with the bases still loaded.
The Patriots quickly tied the game at 1-all in the top of the third after Sharee Blomquist doubled down the right field line to lead off the third against Jones and Brunson doubled into the gap in left-center two batters later.
FMU broke the tie an inning later with a two-run fourth. Chelsea Welty collected a leadoff single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a single by Childers. Barnhart followed with a bunt single between the pitcher and third base, scoring Welty. Childers came home on a two-out single to left by Briana Barzola, increasing the FMU lead to 3-1.
As it had done in the second inning, Barton scored a run in the fifth but failed to take advantage of the opportunity for more. Jones singled to lead off the inning, Conner drew a one-out walk and Bass was hit by a two-out pitch to load the bases. White drilled a single to right field to plate Jones, but BC left the bases loaded again after FMU left fielder Childers made a diving catch in foul territory just behind the third-base bag on a ball hit by Speight.
Francis Marion made Barton's comeback attempt more difficult by adding an insurance run in the seventh. Brunson produced a leadoff single to center, and Nevin followed with an RBI double in the gap in left-center.
The game ended on another highlight-reel defensive play by the Patriots. This time it was third baseman Blomquist making the diving stop near the FMU dugout.
Kelley (13-12) gave up seven hits in the pitching win for Francis Marion, walking three and striking out two. Jones (4-8) allowed nine hits and walked two in the loss.
Jones and White each had two of Barton's seven hits. Barzola and Brunson each collected two hits for the Patriots.
Weather permitting, Barton will visit Elizabeth City State University on Saturday for another non-conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
