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By: Stephen Williams

FLORENCE, S.C. – After falling in the opener, the Columbus State University softball team rebounded to pick up a split of Sunday's doubleheader at Francis Marion. The Peach Belt Conference games were played at the FMU Softball Stadium.
 
Columbus State (26-20-1, 12-8 PBC) lost 5-1 in the opening game before responding with an 11-2 victory in game two.
 
"We didn't get the results we were hoping for out of the weekend, but we were able to get a little momentum in the final game," head coach Brad Huskisson said. "Now we have to bare down and finish the regular season strong."
 
CSU will play its final nonconference games of the season on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Albany State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Game One
 
Sunday's opener was about the pitchers early as both sides were scoreless through three innings.
 
Darby Demarest came out dominant for the Lady Cougars, striking out seven over the first three innings, including five straight between the first and second.
 
Francis Marion (27-19, 9-13) finally broke through in the fourth, getting a three-run home run with two outs to jump on the board first.
 
CSU got one of the runs back in the fifth as Kayleigh Briant singled home pinch-runner Grace Wilcox, but that would be all the Lady Cougars would get.
 
Demarest (7-7) gave up five runs (four earned) over six innings in the circle. She struck out eight in the loss.
 
Game Two
 
The Lady Cougar offense shook off its struggles from game one and exploded for 11 runs on 14 hits in the second half of the doubleheader.
 
CSU got a run in the first behind an error by the Patriots, but FMU responded with two of its own in the bottom half of the frame.
 
Lee Anne Rees got things going for the Lady Cougars in the second, singling to start the inning and advancing on a throwing error. After a groundout moved her to third, Kristin Studds tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
 
The game stayed at 2-2 until the fourth. Briant led off with a double and Elizabeth Perdue singled and then moved to second to put a pair in scoring position. Rees came through again, this time knocking in both runners with a single to right-centerfield.
 
Columbus State then poured it on with seven runs over the final two innings.
 
Perdue picked up her team-leading 14^th home run in the sixth and Keeli Waugh added one with a two-run single later in the inning.
 
Perdue added two more RBIs with a double in the seventh, while Rees and Studds each had RBI singles.

Rees led the CSU attack with a perfect 4-for-4 performance in game two with three RBIs. Briant and Perdue were each 3-for-4.
 
Peyton Sorrells (8-3) went the distance in the circle, giving up just two unearned runs.