DUNCAN, S.C. – The top seeded King University softball team fell to third seed Francis Marion University in the Conference Carolinas Softball Championship final on Monday.
Carly Turner ripped a home run in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings. However, the Patriots scored six runs in the ninth to take the contest 10-4.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 3 Francis Marion 10, No. 1 King 4 (F/9)
LOCATION: Tyger River Park; Duncan, S.C.
RECORDS: King 35-22; Francis Marion 41-11
TIME OF GAME: 2:33
KING HIGHLIGHTS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Francis Marion loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the third inning.
- A groundout scored one run before a single from Taylor Watford made it a 3-0 Patriot lead.
- Following a Deel double and walk from Erin Foster loaded the bases, a Camryn Haag single drove in on for the Tornado.
- However, the Patriots got the final two outs to end the inning and keep the 3-1 lead.
- A Francis Marion bunt single, followed by a double gave the Patriots a 4-1 lead in the fifth.
- Deel laced another double and her pinch runner, Nikole Counts, scored on a defensive miscue to cut the King deficit to 4-2 in the sixth.
- Lauren Lawson reached on an error in the seventh inning before Turner laced a home run to center, evening the score at four and sending the game to extra innings.
- King put runners on the corners in the eighth, but couldn't push one across.
- Francis Marion then started the ninth with a home run from Reagan Glanz to take a 5-4 advantage.
- The Patriots then added five more runs, including a two-run double from Taylor Watford to take a 10-4 lead.
- King then went down in order in the ninth as Francis Marion took the contest 10-4.
FOR THE FOES
- Watford went 3-for-5 and drove in five.
- Glanz drove in two on two hits while Avery Bellai added three hits and two runs scored.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Rachel Davis (18-8) 9.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO
Losing Pitcher: Savana Luper (13-6) 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Lawson, Luper, and Campbell were all named to the all-tournament team.
UP NEXT
- Francis Marion earns the automatic bid into the NCAA Softball Championship.
- King will await the selection show on Monday, May 8 to see if they will get an at-large bid into a an NCAA Regional.
