Patriots and Falcons tie on baseball diamond 9-9

MISENHEIMER, NC – Junior Barrett Kleinknecht went 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and one run batted in and then allowed only one unearned run in four innings on the mound to help Francis Marion University tie Pfeiffer University 9-9, Thursday afternoon (Feb. 19) in non-conference baseball action. The game was called because of darkness.

The one unearned run Kleinknecht allowed came in the bottom of the eighth and allowed the Falcons (9-3-1) to knot the score at 9-9. He then stranded two runners on base in the last of the 10th inning allowing FMU (6-3-1) to escape with the tie.

Francis Marion sophomore first baseman Preston Shuey had three run-scoring singles in five at bats, while junior catcher Jacob Wallace was 3-for-6 with an RBI and senior infielder Keon Graves was 2-for-5 with two runs batted in. The Patriots totaled 15 hits.

FMU starter Josh Edgin allowed six runs (three earned) in three innings or work.

The Patriots jumped on top early with two runs in the first inning. Colby Green led off the game with a hit-by-pitch. Kleinknecht added a one-out single and was followed by RBI singles from Wallace and Shuey off Falcon starter Chris Miller (1-1).

The Falcons battled back and gained the lead in the second when they scored three runs. Mike Green and Brandon Rouse led off with doubles to cut the lead to 2-1. After a hit-by-pitch and two fielder’s choices, Josh Strickland gave Pfeiffer a 3-2 lead with a two-RBI single.

Pfeiffer added to their lead in the third when they tacked on three more runs. Jesse Dunn led off the inning by reaching on an error. Green walked and Rouse doubled home Dunn. Myles Pearl followed with an RBI groundout scoring Green. Tyler Smith then drove Rouse home with a sacrifice fly.

Francis Marion went to their bullpen to start the fourth inning and Strickland took the second pitch he saw off Shane Gebhards over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the season, giving Pfeiffer a 7-2 lead.

The Patriots started to chip away at the lead in the fifth when they cut the score to 7-6. Green, Alex Lee, and Kleinknecht led off the inning with singles to load the bases. A one-out infield single by Graves scored Green and then a seeing-eye single by Shuey scored Lee. Pfeiffer went to bullpen and brought in Casey Smith, who gave up a bloop single to Josh Smith that scored Kleinknecht. With two-out, Austin Smetana hit a single to left field that scored Graves. Pearl threw out Shuey at the plate trying to score to preserve the one-run lead.

The Falcons added a single run in the seventh when Green coaxed a leadoff walk and Rouse bunted him to second. Pearl followed with a single to left. A slow chopper to the shortstop by Tyler Smith scored Green.

In the eighth, Francis Marion scored three runs and took a 9-8 lead. Green reached on a one-out walk and Kleinknecht singled him home after a wild pitch. Singles by Wallace, Graves and Shuey scored Kleinknecht and Wallace.

Pfeiffer battled back in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 9-9 on a sacrifice fly by Mike Green that scored Strickland. After scoreless ninth and tenth innings, the umpires decided to call the game due to darkness.

Miller, Smith, Jonathan McDaniel, and Andy Oliver all pitched for the Falcons. Miller started and took a no-decision going 4 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and six runs. Oliver pitched the scoreless ninth and tenth and struck out 4 of 6 batters he faced.

Francis Marion will host UNC Pembroke for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.


Michael G. Hawkins