FLORENCE - The Newberry Wolves left the tying runs on base in the seventh inning of both of Wednesday's games, falling to Francis Marion by scores of 6-3 and 2-1 at the FMU Softball Stadium.

Newberry is now 8-2 on the season while FMU is 5-2. Newberry is next in action this weekend with four games in St. Augustine, Fla., playing Flagler twice and facing off against Tuskegee and Eckerd once apiece.

GAME ONE: Francis Marion 6, Newberry 3

• Hailey Drawe and Jeri Loffler each picked up two hits in the game, with Drawe and Maude McCourry each hitting a double.
• Newberry stranded 10 runners on base in the contest and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
• McCourry (4-1) allowed six runs - five earned - on eight hits in 5.0 innings of work.

FMU took the lead in the bottom of the first, with a runner from third beating out the tag at the plate on a bunt to the pitcher.

Newberry loaded the bases in the second and scored a pair of runs when Natalie Willis and Christina Linton drew bases loaded walks with one out. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, that rally was snuffed with a pair of strikeouts and Newberry leading 2-1. The Patriots regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI triple by Sharee Blomquist, who was driven in on a Mikala Barnhart single.

The hosts extended their lead with three runs in the fifth, two of which came on a Chelsea Welty homer.

McCourry led off the sixth with a double and pinch runner Tori Zambrano scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 6-3. With two outs in the seventh, Newberry managed to load the bases, but a hard lineout to left by McCourry ended the game with the tying run on base.

Linton saw her eight-game hitting streak snapped, but walked to extend her stretch of games safely reaching base.

GAME TWO: Francis Marion 2, Newberry 1

• Linton rebounded with a 4-for-4 game, but was stranded in scoring position three times as the Wolves managed only three other hits.

FMU started the scoring in the second with a two-out RBI single by Johnson. Welty's RBI double with none out in the third pushed the Patriots' lead to 2-0.

Mallory Gerndt and Nicolette Myers singled to lead off the fifth and a Linton single plated the Wolves' only run of the contest.

Linton doubled in the seventh with one out, but the Wolves left her there as one of eight runners stranded on base.