Patriots pound out 34 hits for doubleheader sweep of Hurricanes

FLORENCE, S.C. — Francis Marion University pounded out 34 hits and scored 28 runs while sweeping a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from visiting Georgia Southwestern State University, Saturday afternoon (April 11). FMU won the opener 14-5 and rallied for a 14-7 victory in game two.

Francis Marion improves to 26-13-1 overall and retains possession of third place in the PBC standings at 13-9. GSW drops to 14-29 and 6-15.

Francis Marion will play at local-rival Coker College on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., while the Hurricanes host North Georgia for a PBC series next weekend.

Francis Marion broke open a one-run game (5-4) in the opening contest by scoring nine unanswered runs over a four-inning span.

FMU junior right fielder Alex Lee went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and six runs batted in, including a three-run homer in the second inning. Lead-off man Martin Gordon was 2-for-4 and scored four times, while senior catcher Jared Barkdoll was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and shortstop Barrett Kleinknecht was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Patriot sophomore reliever Tyler Lehman (1-0) earned his first win of 2009 by allowing only one run on two hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

GSW starter RM Cozza (1-6) was tagged with the loss. The Hurricanes committed seven errors in game one and they resulted in six unearned runs. Second baseman Kevin Carroll and shortstop Shane Doyle were both 2-for-3 with an RBI in the opener.

Francis Marion snapped a 6-6 deadlock by scoring eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning of the second contest. The inning included five hits, three walks, a hit batter, an error, and a wild pitch.

Kleinknecht paced the Patriots in game two with a 4-for-6 performance that included three runs scored, a double, a triple, and three RBIs. Second baseman Josh Biggers was 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Jacob Wallace, Keon Graves, Preston Shuey, and Barkdoll all had two hits. Gordon also extended his hitting streak to eight games, while scoring twice and driving in two runs.

Patriot reliever Brandon Forshee (3-2) was the beneficiary of the late outburst, while GSW right-hander Brandon Reeder (2-2) suffered the loss.

Doyle was a perfect 4-for-4 in game two, while scoring twice and driving in two runs. Beau Parker, Daniel Stokes, and Noble Coley all had two hits for the Hurricanes in game two, while Chris Lingham drove in a pair of runs.