GCSU (28-7, 8-2 PBC) won the first game 9-3, and the Lady Bobcats rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win the second game 5-4. The Lady Bobcats are coached by FMU graduate and former Patriot outfielder Ginger Miller.
In game one, Baitey scored on a dropped fly ball to deep center field off the bat of Heather Jones to give GCSU a 1-0 first-inning lead. Brianna Hope added an RBI single in the third inning to plate Baruffa, and Nikki Smith uncorked a two-run home run to left field in the fourth inning for a 4-0 Lady Bobcat lead. The Lady Bobcats stretched things out in the fifth inning as Aundrea Baker sliced a two-run triple and later scored on a wild pitch for a 7-0 advantage.
Francis Marion (20-10, 4-6 PBC) got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning as sophomore shortstop Allie Aleman blasted a three-run homer, but GCSU would get two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame as Keidra Baitey tripled to right-center to bring home her sister, Deidra, and Jones for the final 9-3 margin.
Jones went 2-for-2, while Hope finished 2-for-4 to lead GCSU at the plate. Aleman finished 1-for-3, while Shannan Tyson went 2-for-3 to lead FMU.
Libby Kidd picked up the win in the circle for the Lady Bobcats after allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts in a complete game effort. Junior righty Jessica Johnson (11-4) took the loss for the Patriots after allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits with four strikeouts in three innings.
Francis Marion built a 4-0 lead early in game two as freshman Kayla Ruede stroked a solo home run in the second inning, and junior second baseman Tatjana Slawson added a run-scoring double in the third inning. The Patriots picked up two more runs in the fourth inning as pitcher Serena Lim helped her own cause by clubbing a two-run homer to chase GCSU starting pitcher Mandy Chandler.
The Lady Bobcats started their rally with the long ball in the bottom of the fourth as Keidra Baitey went to the opposite field with a three-run home run over the right field wall to cut the deficit down to single run. GCSU's Chelsea Wilson led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo shot to left field, knotting the score at 4-4.
In the seventh, Deidra Baitey led off with a single to chase Lim. Baitey would later move to second on a passed ball. Two batters later, Baruffa stepped to the plate and punched a single down the line past the out-stretched arms of Patriot first baseman Monica Wofford to bring home Baitey for the game-winning run.
Kidd (16-4) picked up the win in relief after holding the Patriots scoreless on three hits for 3.2 innings. Lim (8-6) took the loss after being charged with all five runs, four earned, on seven hits in six-plus innings. Jones and Smith both went 2-for-3 top lead GCSU at the plate, while Lim and Ruede went 2-for-3 to lead FMU.
FMU plays host to UNC Pembroke, Thursday for a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.
