FLORENCE, SC – First baseman Preston Shuey and center fielder Buddy Sosnoskie plated irst-inning runs with RBI hits to back the two-hit pitching of sophomore right-hander Don Sandifer as 16th-ranked Francis Marion University beat Augusta State University 3-1, Friday night (March 25) in the first game of a three-game Peach Belt Conference baseball series.

Francis Marion (22-8, 7-3) wins its sixth straight contest, while ASU drops to 15-17 overall and 7-6 in the PBC.  The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field.

Sandifer (7-1) wins his seventh straight decision by striking out 12 and walking no one.  He threw 124 pitches and did not allow a hit until the top of the eighth inning when Alex Walker drilled a hard grounder past a diving Shuey and into right field.  The game marked the fifth time in his past six starts that Sandifer has carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

Freshman third baseman Michael Wilson led off the bottom of the FMU first with a single to center.  He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out bloop single to right center by Shuey.  Shuey was then chased home by Sosnoskie who doubled down the right field line.

An RBI fielder's choice grounder by Wilson in the bottom of the second scored Tyler Cappelmann with Francis Marion's third run.

Shuey, Sosnoskie, Wilson, and catcher Brian Paulhus all registered two hits for FMU.

Following Walker's hit in the eighth, he stole second base and scored the Jaguars' run on a single through the right side by Kevin Dodson.

Sandifer then set ASU down in order in the top of the ninth.

ASU sophomore righty Scott Shipman (4-2) recovered after his rocky and proceeded to toss five scoreless innings.  He finished his seven innings with eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter.

#16 Francis Marion Univ. 3, Augusta State Univ. 1 (Mar 25, 2011 at Florence, SC)
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Augusta State Univ.. 000 000 010  -  1  2  0      (15-17, 7-6 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 210 000 00X  -  3 10  1      (22-8, 7-3 PBC)
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Pitchers: Augusta State Univ. - Scott Shipman; Rob Crosby (8) and Casey Hanrahan.
Francis Marion Univ. - Don Sandifer and Brian Paulhus.
Win-Don Sandifer (7-1)  Loss-Scott Shipman (4-2)  T-1:57  A-84
Weather: Mostly clear, 60 degrees