Bell and Wolf, not Beowulf, lead Patriots to sweep of Lady Knights

FLORENCE, SC – Senior first baseman Tamela Bell and junior southpaw Michaela Wolf combined for eight hits and three runs batted in to help lift Francis Marion University to a non-conference doubleheader sweep, 4-0 and 7-4, of St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Friday afternoon (April 10) in softball action.

Francis Marion ups its record to 27-16, while St. Andrews falls to 18-23. The Patriots will close out their regular-season schedule on Saturday when they entertain 12th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne College for a Senior Day doubleheader at 1 p.m.

St. Andrews plays a doubleheader at Limestone College on Monday at 2 p.m.

Wolf (15-9) tossed a one-hitter in the first contest. She fanned nine and walked only one as the Lady Knights had only three base runners.

Junior left fielder Jessica Birchmeier hit an RBI double in the third inning to give FMU a 1-0 lead. An RBI ground out by Laura Hauff and a run-scoring single by Bell increased the margin to 3-0 in the fifth. Birchmeier plated Katie Campbell with a single to left field in the sixth to complete the scoring.

Second baseman Kailee Munden drilled a clean single up the middle in the second inning for St. Andrews’ lone hit. Freshman right-hander Ashley Disque (5-14) notched the complete game for the Lady Knights on the mound.

FMU freshman righty Lauren Bubeck (9-6) tossed a four-hitter in the second contest, allowing only two earned runs in seven innings. She also recorded the second two-hit game of her young career at the plate.

An RBI single by Wolf in the first and a two-run homer from senior catcher Kayla Ruede built a 3-0 FMU lead after two frames. St. Andrews scored a lone run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Munden.

Francis Marion answered with four unanswered runs to go ahead 7-1. Bubeck lofted an RBI single in the fourth and Jessie Alesi (fielder’s choice), Bell (double), and Campbell (sacrifice fly) drove in runs in the fifth inning.

St. Andrews cut the margin to 7-2 when losing pitcher Sarah Applegarth (13-9) laced an RBI single up the middle in the sixth and the Lady Knights tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh on a passed ball and a two-out error.

Applegarth was 2-for-3 with the RBI in the second game.