Patriots "destined" to reach PBC title game

FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore center fielder Destinea (pronounced destiny) Schneider beat out an infield single to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as third-seeded Francis Marion University rallied for an improbable 5-4 win over seventh-seeded USC Aiken, Saturday evening (April 17) in the Peach Belt Conference Softball Tournament at Freedom Florence.

FMU (34-13) advances to the tournament championship game on Sunday at noon against top-ranked, unbeaten, and top-seeded North Georgia College & State University.  Earlier Saturday, North Georgia beat Francis Marion 6-0 sending the Patriots into the losers’ bracket against USCA.  If FMU hands North Georgia its first tournament loss, a second championship game would be played at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. This will be the Patriots' first appearance in the championship contest.

Francis Marion trailed USCA 4-0 after five innings, while being held hitless by Pacer starter Kathleen Nichols.  The Patriots rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the deficit to 4-3.

In the seventh, FMU senior left-handed pitcher Michaela Wolf led off with a line-drive home run over the right center field fence to knot the score at 4-4.  After a ground out, freshman Meghan Heiser reach on a high-chop single over the third baseman.  Shortstop Jessica Hogan then forced pinch-runner Murphy McConnell at second with a ground ball to third base.  With two outs, Cea Knox doubled on another high chopper over the third baseman putting runners on second and third.  Schneider then hit a dribbler that got past the pitcher and the second baseman was unable to make a play as Schneider slid safely into first base and Hogan scored the winning run.

USCA (23-23) scored three times in the third inning and looked ready to make their own improbable appearance in the championship game.  Catcher Nicole Borden hit a lead-off homer, Lauren Locklear drilled an RBI double to left, and Kelley King laced an RBI single up the middle.  The Pacer lead increased to 4-0 in the fifth frame on Blair Warren’s run-scoring single.

In the sixth, FMU scored three times on RBI singles by Hogan and Chelle Phillips, neither of which left the infield, and an RBI grounder by Knox.

Wolf (20-7) earned her 20th win of the season and reached that plateau for the fourth time in her career.  She scattered nine hits and struck out five.  USCA right-hander Toni Flessate (15-11) was the loser as she relieved Nichols in the sixth.

Wolf was 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of walks.

The top three batters in the Pacer order all had two hits: Brandy Bossle, Locklear, and King.