FLORENCE, S.C. – Recently-ranked Augusta State (27-7, 8-2 PBC) enjoyed great pitching from Emily Headrick, Heather Sexton, and Heather Hughes to shut down the Francis Marion (24-10, 4-4) offense en route to a 7-1 and 2-0 sweep of the Patriots Tuesday.
The Jaguars, who earned their first national ranking of the year in the most recent top-25 poll at No. 20, got all their offense early in the opener, scoring four runs in the second and another three in the third.
With one out, Macy Terry's double to right center field brought Kaitlin Harris all the way around from first to score, putting ASU on the board first. Renae Kimbell walked, then both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Hannah Vaughn was hit by a pitch, bringing Kacee Camp to the plate with the bases loaded.
She delivered, in the form of a bases-clearing triple down the left field line to score three more Jaguar runs and give ASU a comfortable lead.
In the third, Vaughn's RBI single to right brought Headrick across the plate, and Molly Walton's bases-loaded walk and Kristen Jones' RBI single capped the Jaguar scoring.
Destinea Schneider's RBI groundout in the seventh gave FMU their lone run of the game.
Headrick (13-2) went four innings of shutout ball for the win, allowing two hits. Heather Sexton hurled the final three, giving up just one run and six hits with three strikeouts for the three-inning save, her third of the season.
Katie Carnes (9-4) took the loss for FMU, failing to get out of the second inning.
In game two, Heather Hughes allowed just one runner to reach scoring position through six innings to improve to 9-3 on the season, keeping Francis Marion off-balance the entire game. Headrick tossed a scoreless ninth for her third save of the year.
The Jaguars again got all their offense in the second and third, this time a run apiece. After Jessica Thornton battled for a leadoff walk in an 11-pitch at-bat, she stole second, moved to third on Lauren Yeargan's sacrifice bunt and scoring on a pass ball.
Kimbell started things off in the third by reaching on a throwing error, advancing to second on Vaughn's sac bun, and scoring on Camp's RBI double.
The Jaguars continue their road swing with a non-conference doubleheader at Anderson (S.C.) Sunday, March 25 beginning at 5:00 p.m. before heading to Lander Sunday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m.
ASU hosts Lenior-Rhyne Tuesday, April 3 starting at 2:00 p.m.