SCORES
Game 1: Montevallo 5, Francis Marion 1
Game 2: Montevallo 7, Francis Marion 3
RECORD
Montevallo (23-21 overall, 12-11 in Peach Belt Conference)
Francis Marion (27-21 overall, 9-15 in Peach Belt Conference)
LOCATION
Orr Park (Montevallo, Alabama)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Montevallo improved its seeding in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference Tournament with a sweep of visiting Francis Marion after knocking off the Patriots 5-1 in the opener and finishing off the sweep with a 7-3 win over the visitors in the nightcap on Senior Day.
The Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run single to right-center field by sophomore Lauren Van Steenwyk in the opening game.
Van Steenwyk followed with a three-run blast over the fence in left field in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Falcons the four-run lead.
Senior Jocelyn Rivera closed out a complete-game victory in the circle after allowing just one earned run with six strikeouts in the opener.
Francis Marion plated the first two runs in the nightcap in the top of the third inning before the Falcons responded with seven unanswered runs to secure the victory.
A RBI triple by freshman Holly LaForce and a sacrifice bunt by senior Hannah McCreless helped the Falcons tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Montevallo scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, which included a two-run single by Van Steenwyk, a RBI triple by junior Kelsey Vining, a RBI groundout by junior Dylan Bailey and a RBI double by McCreless.
The Patriots plated their final run on a solo homer by Sydney Holland in the top of the seventh inning.
Sophomore Abbey Pratt earned the win in the circle after allowing just one earned run with three strikeouts in a complete game.
The Falcons celebrated the careers of three seniors on Senior Day, including Rivera, McCreless and Kaytee Keefe.
STAT OF THE DAY
Sophomore Lauren Van Steenwyk finished a combined 5-for-7 at the plate with a home run and a double while driving in seven runs in the doubleheader sweep.
UP NEXT
The Falcons will host the University of North Georgia in a make-up game Tuesday, April 18 at Orr Park to determine the final seeding in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.