WILSON, NC - Senior right fielder Zach Boyette laid down a perfect one-out squeeze bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 24) to lift Barton College to a thrilling 4-3 win over 29th-ranked Francis Marion University in college baseball action.

Francis Marion rallied from 3-1 deficit with single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to knot the score at 3-3.

In the top of the eighth inning, FMU catcher Jacob Wallace singled and scored on a Keon Graves' double. The Patriots tied the score in the ninth when outfielder Alex Lee singled, second baseman Colby Green walked, and Barrett Kleinknecht singled.   With two still aboard and the Patriots looking to take the lead, freshman pitcher Brentley Massey (2-0) came in and got Wallace to ground out, setting the stage for the winning squeeze play.

Matt Willis started the ninth for Barton with a bad-hop double, Aaron Watkins reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and Ryan Daughtry was intentionally walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Boyette dropped a bunt in front of home plate and Willis raced home with the winning run.

Francis Marion slips to 8-5-1, while the Bulldogs are now 10-7.  FMU will visit Armstrong Atlantic State University for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series this weekend. 

The Bulldogs outhit FMU 10-8, with Willis going 4-for-4.

Graves and Lee both collected two hits apiece for the Patriots.

Five pitchers toed the rubber for FMU on Tuesday. Jared Hooks started and Kleinknecht (0-2) finished by pitching the ninth inning.

Barton opened the game with a double from Boyette, a groundout, and a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Nichols for a 1-0 lead after one inning. The lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth when Willis singled and scored a double by Watkins.

The Patriots got one run in the sixth when Martin Gordon walked, Tyler Boyd singled to right, and, after a groundout, Gordon trotted home on an RBI groundout by Wallace.

Barton went up 3-1 in the sixth when Allen Corbett walked and Willis and Watkins singled.