Patriots take two big wins at Early Bird Tournament

The Francis Marion University offense exploded for 26 hits and 23 runs to sweep a pair of games on the final day of the Early Bird Tournament, Sunday (Feb. 7) in Aiken, S.C.  FMU beat Chowan University 9-1 in six innings and Barton College 14-0 in five innings.

The Patriots improve to 3-1 and will open Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday (Feb. 13) when they host Georgia Southwestern State University for a 12 noon doubleheader.

In the first game against Chowan, junior Chelle Phillips and senior Kat Beauvais both rapped out three hits and drove in a run. Sophomore outfielder Destinea Schneider was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI and senior left-handed pitcher Michaela Wolf was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Wolf allowed only two hits and a first-inning unearned run in five innings to pick up the win.

Back-to-back solo home runs by freshman Meghan Heiser and Beauvais gave FMU a 3-1 advantage in the second inning.

In the second contest against Barton, the Patriots scored 10 runs in the top of the third inning.

Five Patriots recorded two hits: Schneider 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI; Phillips 2-fo-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs; Ashley Jaramillo 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs; Jessica Birchmeier 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI; and Beauvais 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.

Wolf (3-0) pitched two scoreless frames to start the game before giving way to junior righty Cea Knox.  The pair combined to limit Barton to only three hits.