By: Story from Francis Marion Athletic Communications
FLORENCE, S.C. – Graduate student right-hander Jenna Walling tossed a five-hitter en route to her 30th complete game of the season and drove in three runs as second-seeded and eighth-ranked Francis Marion University cruised to a 10-2 win over third-seeded and 15th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University, Friday afternoon (May 15) in a semifinal game at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Softball Tournament.
Francis Marion, now 46-11, advances to play Lenior-Rhyne (41-14) again on Saturday in the championship game at 1 p.m. LRU came back later on Friday evening to beat seventh-seeded Carson-Newman University 3-2 in nine innings. The Bears will have to defeat the unbeaten Patriots twice on Saturday to claim the title, while FMU only needs one victory.
Carson-Newman rallied to eliminate sixth-seeded Anderson University 5-3 also on Friday.
Admission to FMU's Griffin Athletic Complex for Saturday's championship is $10.
Walling upped her record to 27-7 to remain among the win leaders in Division II. She struck out three and walked only one. At the plate, she went 1-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and the three RBIs.
Graduate student third baseman Rylie Webster and senior right fielder Paige Strickland both had two hits for FMU and combined for three RBIs.
Playing as the visiting team, the Patriots jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Senior shortstop Madalyn White led off the game with a walk and junior designated player McKenzie Jewell lined a one-out single to center putting runners on the corners. Walling then lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center field that was dropped allowing White to score.
Webster followed with a sacrifice fly to right-center field, and senior second baseman Maddy Golka completed the scoring with an RBI-single to right-center. Golka, who had only 18 RBIs in her first 34 games, has driven in 11 runs in the past eight contests.
Francis Marion added four more runs in the second frame to forge a 7-0 advantage. Senior left field Anderson Thrower had a run-scoring single, Walling doubled home two runs, and Webster ripped an RBI-double.
LRU starter Faith Carrigan (16-6) took the loss, although only two of the seven runs she allowed were earned as the Bears committed two errors in those first two frames.
Bears freshman righty Arabelle Schulenburger entered the game in the second and retired 13 of the first 15 batters she faced. That allowed Lenior-Rhyne to plate a pair of fifth-inning runs to climb within 7-2.
In the top of the seventh, the Patriots added three insurance tallies, all coming after a two-out fielding error that loaded the bases. Senior pinch-hitter Kendal Miller dropped a two-run single into shallow center field and Strickland followed with a run-scoring single up the middle.
Walling then retired the Bears in order in the bottom of the frame to end the game. Two of the outs coming on lined shots at Webster along the third base line.
At the plate, Walling extended her streak of safely reaching base to 13 contests, while notching her 84th career win – second-most in program history behind former Patriot lefty Michaela Wolf (92 wins) who was in attendance on Saturday.
Saturday's champion will advance to next week's Super Regional round.
