RELATED: Saunders, Softball Blank Visiting Francis Marion

PEMBROKE – Visiting Francis Marion rallied back from a pair of deficits and used a four-run sixth inning to go ahead for good as the Patriots topped the UNC Pembroke softball team, 8-4, in the nightcap of a Wednesday doubleheader at LRA Field.

The setback snapped a three-game win streak for the Braves (21-18, 5-13 PBC) who will now hit the road for four-straight conference outings. The triumph put an end to a three-game skid for the Patriots (20-18, 6-10) who will play their next four PBC games at home.

Morgan Davis drove in a run on a 2-for-4 night at the plate to pace the hosts, while Karlee Wilson walked and singled in a pair of runs on a 1-for-2 hitting line. Brea Hartley hit a RBI double and scored once to highlight a 1-for-3 hitting line.

Shannan Lopez (5-for-5, 2 RBI) and Shelby Kelley (1-for-2, 3 RBI) both hit home runs for the Patriots who also got a 3-for-4 showing from leadoff hitter Briana Barzola.

Selena Ashley (8-6) offset three strikeouts by yielding seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits and eight walks to pick up the loss for UNCP. Kelley (5-6) surrendered just two hits in three scoreless innings of relief to grab the win for the Patriots.

Francis Marion rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit with a pair of runs in the fourth, and then pushed across a run on an ill-timed error in the fifth. The Braves retook the lead on RBI knocks from Davis and Hartley in the bottom of the frame, but the Patriots knotted the score back up on Chessie Miller's RBI double in the sixth, and then took the lead for good on Kelley's 3-run homer with the ensuing at-bat.

The Braves will open up a four-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Savannah, Ga., to battle Armstrong State (22-10, 11-3) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at the Armstrong Softball Field.