FLORENCE, SC - Junior shortstop Barrett Knleinknecht homered twice and drove in six runs as 28th-ranked Francis Marion University rallied from a 10-1 deficit by scoring 16 unanswered runs to claim a 17-10 win over Augusta State University, Saturday afternoon (April 18) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.

FMU improves to 27-13-1 overall and 14-9 in the Peach Belt, one game behind the conference leaders. ASU drops to 21-25 and 8-11.  The two teams conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Sunday at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field.

ASU scored three times in the opening frame and five times in the second inning to lead 8-0.  After Kleinknecht hit a solo homer in the third, the Jaguars added two runs in the top of the fourth to go on top 10-1.

A grand slam by Kleinknecht in the bottom of the fourth highlighted a six-run rally.  Josh Biggers added an RBI-single in the fifth to further trim the ASU lead to 10-8.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Patriots struck for eight runs in the seventh inning to take a 16-10 advantage.  The inning included two-run hits by Jared Barkdoll and Jacob Wallace, an RBI-double by Martin Gordon and a three-run homer by sophomore first baseman Preston Shuey.

Kleinknecht drove in the final Patriot run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

The rally made a winner of Patriot reliever Sebie Kirkland (2-0), who combined with Brandon Forshee to hold the Jaguars scoreless over the final five innings.  ASU righty reliever Scott Strickland (2-5) was tagged with the loss.

Gordon extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 4-for-6 day that included two RBIs and three runs scored. Shuey was 3-for-3, while Kleinknecht, Wallace, Biggers and Keon Graves all had two hits as the Patriots pounded three Jaguar pitchers for 19 hits.

Third baseman Jorge Virguez and first baseman Tristan Toorie were both 3-for-5 for ASU, with Toorie homering and driving in three runs.