FLORENCE, S.C. | Karlie Gutierrez doubled in each of the two games in the doubleheader as Georgia College & State University split a pair of non-conference softball contests against No. 19 Francis Marion University Wed (Mar. 18) afternoon at the FMU Softball Stadium.
The Bobcats took the opener 4-2, while the Patriot offense rallied for double-digits, winning the nightcap 13-2. GCSU improved to 8-12 while Francis Marion climbed to 24-9. The Bobcats return for a three-game Peach Belt Conference set against the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, with the first game of the series taking place Friday (Mar. 20) at 6 p.m. at the Bobcat Softball Field.
Madelyn White opened the scoring for the Patriots in the first, stealing third and scoring on a throwing error from Gutierrez. The Bobcats' offense tacked on two runs in the second, as Kacie Wiggins singled Emily Hobbs to tie the game, and Kimber Kent drove in Wiggins on a single to take the first GCSU lead.
Gutierrez made up for her earlier miscue, doubling in Emily Hutcheson and Sydney Lancaster in the third to give the Bobcats a 4-1 lead. White drove in on a second miscue from Gutierrez in the third, but that was all Francis Marion managed.
Sydney Garrett (5-6) pitched four hitless innings of relief of Annalise Knopp, striking out three and allowing only two baserunners. Jenna Walling (16-6) had the loss, allowing 10 Bobcat hits.
Lancaster led the Bobcats in hits, with three, while Wiggins was the other Bobcat with a multi-hit performance.
The Patriots once again led off with offense, plating two in the first from a fielder's choice and a groundout. Emily Hobbs drove in Halley Nobles in the third to erase the GCSU zero from the scoreboard, but Francis Marion exploded for seven runs, with the final four runs coming from singles.
Gutierrez doubled in Hutcheson in the fourth, and Wiggins singled in Maddie Todd. The Patriots scored another pair on an error and a single, and later forced the run-rule victory after holding the Bobcats scoreless in the fifth.
Jacy Singleton (0-1) couldn't collect an out in the loss, giving up two hits, two runs, and a hit by pitch in her appearance. Laini Kosinski (2-0) pitched the entire five innings, giving up ten hits, but only three runs.
Kent, Hobbs, and Nobles each had multi-hit performances in the loss.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
