FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University managed only five hits in 21 innings on Sunday (March 12) as the Patriots lost two extra-inning decisions to nationally ranked opponents on the final day of the annual Patriot Invitational Women's Softball Tournament at the Freedom Florence Softball Complex.
The 33-team event concluded with play on Sunday.
Third baseman Kim Crowley's RBI single in the top of the 12th inning gave 11th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne College (19-4-1) a 2-1 win over the Patriots on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, left fielder Lisa Bohner drove home Ashley Lynn with an RBI single in the top of the ninth frame to lift 13th-ranked Bloomsburg University (1-3) to a 3-2 win over FMU.
Francis Marion, now 13-7, will return to Peach Belt Conference play on Wednesday when the Patriots play host to USC Aiken for a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
FMU was held to only a first-inning single by freshman outfielder Lakyn Bendle in the opener. Lenoir-Rhyne starter Meredith O’Connor fanned 14 Patriots in 10.1 innings, while Casey Hanes (11-3) pitched the final 1.2 innings and was the winning pitcher. FMU junior righty Jessica Johnson (7-3) allowed only six hits and two unearned runs, while throwing 154 pitches, but was tagged with the hard-luck loss.
Both squads scored one run in the ninth inning. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Brooke Starnes had an RBI single in the top of the frame, before FMU freshman Shannan Tyson answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
FMU had runners on first and second base in the last of the 12th inning with one out, but was unable to push across the tying run.
Center fielder Taylor Queen led Lenoir-Rhyne with two hits in four at bats.
In the afternoon contest, FMU managed only four hits off Bloomsburg’s Lynn (1-1). The Huskies took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Tara Reed scored on a two-out error by the Patriots.
Francis Marion scored twice in the fifth frame to go up 2-1 when Janine Allen doubled home Allie Aleman, and Allen came home on an RBI-single by Monica Wofford.
Bloomsburg tied the game in the top of the seventh when Reed singled home Jennifer Miller with two outs.
The top three hitters in the Bloomsburg line-up, Bohner, Kelly Zarski, and Reed, all had two hits. FMU freshman right-hander Serena Lim (5-4) took the loss despite allowing only eight hits and one earned run, while striking out nine.
