FLORENCE, SC – After allowing a season-high 11 runs in the opening game of Sunday's Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader, Francis Marion University right-handers Jeffrey Stoner and Corey Carver combined on a seven-hit shutout as the 16th-ranked Patriots blanked Lander University 6-0 to earn a split of the twinbill.  Sophomore catcher Jeff May's ninth-inning solo home run that curved just inside the left field foul pole gave Lander a wild 11-10 victory in game one.

The game-one defeat ended FMU's nine-game winning streak, but with the game-two win the Patriots improve to 26-9 overall and 11-4 in the PBC – the second-best mark in the league.  FMU will play host to St. Andrews Presbyterian College on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.

Stoner, a freshman, remains unbeaten at 5-0 after tossing seven shutout innings.  He allowed five hits, while striking out six and walking two.  Carver completed the shutout, FMU's eighth of the season, with a pair of scoreless frames.

Francis Marion manufactured single runs in each of the first four innings.  In the bottom of the first, freshman third baseman Michael Wilson was hit by a pitch.  He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a fly ball out, and then continued home when the throw from the outfield eluded the cut-off man.

In the second, Buddy Sosnoskie led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a wild pitch.  Wilson tripled with one out in the third and scored on a ground out by Brock McCallister.  In the fourth, Tyler Boyd reached on a fielder's choice grounder, went to second on a single and scored on an RBI hit by Tyler Cappelmann.

Sosnoskie was 3-for-4 in the second contest, while Cappelmann was 2-for-3.

Lander middle infielders A.J. Nunziato and Cody McElhaney were both 2-for-4 for Lander (19-16 and 7-7).  Bearcat starter Chris Thomas (4-4) was the losing pitcher.

In the opening game, FMU rallied from a 7-0 deficit after two innings to tie the game at 10-10 on a two-run single by Preston Shuey in the bottom of the eighth.  However, May's long ball off FMU senior righty Patrick Mincey (1-2) made a winner of Bearcat reliever Michael White (2-1).

Francis Marion outhit the Bearcats 18 to 13, but three of four walks issued by Patriot hurlers led to runs and a first-inning error resulted in two unearned runs.

First baseman Jordan Owens led Lander with a 4-for-5 effort that included a two-run homer in the second inning. Right fielder Kevin Childs was 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs.

Boyd was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and catcher Jeff Gaston was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two driven in.  Shuey was 2-for-5 and justed missed a three-run homer in the second frame that would have put the Patriots up 8-7, but the shot was ruled to have sailed foul of the left field pole. 

In the third inning, Shuey moved into second place on the NCAA Division II's career list for fielding putouts with 1,729.  Later in the second contest, he moved into 15th place on the NCAA's all-divisions list for that category with 1,739.

Wilson, McCallister, and Sosnoskie also had two hits in the sun-drenched first contest.

Lander University 11, #16 Francis Marion Univ. 10 (Apr 03, 2011 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Lander University...    340 200 011  - 11 13  3      (19-15, 7-6 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 051 000 040  - 10 18  1      (25-9, 10-4 PBC)
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Pitchers: Lander University - Brandon Farquhar; Scott Elitzky(4); Michael White(8) and Jeff May
. Francis Marion Univ. - Phillip Mozingo; Jarrott Hooks(1); Matt Broderick(3); Joe Wagstaff(5);
Patrick Mincey(9) and Jeff Gaston; Brian Paulhus.
Win-Michael White(2-1)  Loss-Patrick Mincey(1-2)  T-3:02  A-134
HR LU - Jordan Owens (5); Jeff May (3).
Weather: Clear, Hot, 80
Farquhar faced 1 batter in the 4th.

#16 Francis Marion Univ. 6, Lander University 0 (Apr 03, 2011 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Lander University...    000 000 000  -  0  7  2      (19-16, 7-7 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 111 100 20X  -  6  9  2      (26-9, 11-4 PBC)
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Pitchers: Lander University - Chris Thomas; Brandon Miller (7); Jay Robinson (7); Ross Davis (8)
and Joe Tebaldi. Francis Marion Univ. - Jeffrey Stoner; Corey Carver (8) and Brian Paulhus.
Win-Jeffrey Stoner (5-0)  Loss-Chris Thomas (4-4)  T-2:21
Weather: Clear, Hot, 80 degrees