BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University softball team won a pair of Conference Carolinas games Friday afternoon, sweeping Francis Marion University. The Tornado took the first game 10-2 before winning 9-4 in the second.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 10, Francis Marion 2; King 9, Francis Marion 4
LOCATION: King Softball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 17-12, 5-1 Conference Carolinas; Francis Marion 25-7, 5-3 Conference Carolinas
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Maggie Deel went 4-for-6 at the dish, with a double and two RBI while Jessica Campbell came a home run short of the cycle on the day, recording a single, a double and a triple along with four RBI.
- Nikole Counts picked up her first win of the season, throwing seven innings in the nightcap, allowing just three earned runs with five strikeouts.
- Game one was highlighted by Madison Walter, who threw all five innings, allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- Francis Marion manufactured a run in the top of the first inning with a leadoff infield single, sacrifice bunt and stolen base before a groundout plated the run.
- King bounced back on a Carly Turner double that scored Campbell to even the score.
- Samantha Helms later ripped a double to give King the lead before an error allowed a third Tornado run to score.
- King extended the lead to 6-1 with three runs in the third as Haylee Dye started the frame with a double before scoring on a Tinsley Thompson sacrifice bunt.
- Deel then ripped a two-run, two-out double, giving King the 6-1 advantage.
- The Tornado took a 7-1 lead on a Turner sacrifice fly that scored Campbell in the fourth inning.
- A pair of singles around a sacrifice bunt plated a run for the Patriots in the fifth inning before King ended the game in the bottom half.
- A pair of singles from Helms and Haag put two runners on before an error plated on run.
- Campbell laced a two-run double to left center, giving King the 10-2 victory.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Madison Walter (5-3) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Losing Pitcher: Jenna Walling (13-2) 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Francis Marion took the lead in the second inning, manufacturing a run following a batter reaching base following a strikeout.
- A two-out single scored the run, giving the Patriots the 1-0 lead.
- The Tornado deficit grew to 2-0 in the fourth inning as a leadoff double was driven in with a one-out single.
- Dye got the Tornado offense going with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
- A Helms sacrifice fly later scored Turner and evened the score at two.
- King plated an unearned run before Lauren Lawson laced a three-run home run to right center, giving King a 6-2 lead.
- Francis Marion scored one in the sixth, but the Tornado offense responded with three more runs in the bottom, with Campbell driving in a pair on a triple before scoring on a throwing error by the catcher, pushing the lead to 9-3.
- The Patriots did score one in the top of the seventh, but Nikole Counts was able to shut them down, inducing a groundout to second to end the game.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Nikole Counts (1-6) 7.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
Losing Pitcher: Rachel Davis (11-5) 6.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- This was the fifth consecutive win over Francis Marion for the Tornado, a streak that dates back to last season's Conference Carolinas tournament.
FOR THE FOES
- Megan Matsil was 3-for-4 on the day, with an RBI.
- Taylor Watford was 3-for-6, with a double and a home run.
UP NEXT
- King hosts Belmont Abbey College on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
- Francis Marion travels to Lees-McRae College on Saturday.
