Mount Olive, NC - Francis Marion completed a doubleheader sweep of Mount Olive, taking game one 6–3 and game two 4–3, using timely hitting and capitalizing on key moments against a Trojan team that entered the day hitting .292 as a squad.  

In game one, the Patriots scored first on a two-out, two-RBI double from Jenna Walling in the third. Mount Olive responded in the fourth with a productive inning: a run on a wild pitch and a two-RBI double by Allison Barbour put the Trojans ahead 3–2.

The momentum of game one shifted in the sixth as Francis Marion—supported by the league's top pitching staff (1.89 ERA)—capitalized on two Mount Olive defensive errors, leading to four unearned runs in the inning. Madalyn White drove in two with a double to cap the rally. Though Mount Olive's defense has been strong all season, this inning proved an exception. In the seventh, Samantha Taylor doubled for the Trojans, but they couldn't overcome the deficit.

As the teams moved into game two, a similar pattern of tight, situational softball emerged. Francis Marion opened the scoring in the second inning by putting runners on base with back-to-back bunts. They then plated a run when Jane Doe hit a ground out to second, allowing Smith to come home from third—a play showcasing the small-ball tactics they've excelled at all season with 38 sacrifice bunts (conference leader).

Mount Olive answered in the third. Samantha Taylor, hitting .408 with 10 home runs and a .775 slugging percentage entering the series, launched a solo shot to left center. She and Emma King, who came in hitting .504 with a .558 on-base percentage, were a powerful duo. Taylor continued to fuel the Trojan offense.

Momentum shifted in the fifth when Rylie Webster's two-out, two-RBI single put the Patriots ahead 3–1. They added an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. Meanwhile, Francis Marion's staff, allowing just 5.80 hits per seven innings and holding a 3.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio, limited Mount Olive by stranding five runners in the middle innings, maintaining control at another turning point.

Despite trailing, Mount Olive created a final, pivotal opportunity in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Emma King lined a single to center, driving in two runs to cut the deficit to 4–3, demonstrating their last strong push. But with runners on first and third, the final batter grounded out, ending the rally and leaving the tying run stranded—a moment that defined the game's conclusion.

On the mound, Alex Steen—who entered the game with a 2.63 ERA and ranks among the conference leaders with 110 strikeouts—went the distance in game two, while Hailey King battled through six innings in game one, allowing just two earned runs.

The Trojans look to take some time off this weekend for Easter break, but look to rally when they return on Tuesday, when they compete against Barton in a doubleheader scheduled for 2:00 and 4:00 PM.