MOUNT. OLIVE, NC – Catawba College sophomore left-hander Nick Lomascolo limited second-seeded and ninth-ranked Francis Marion University to four hits and the fifth-seeded and 19th-ranked Indians got a pair of clutch hits in the ninth and 10th innings to claim a 2-1 victory on Thursday afternoon (May 19) at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament.

Francis Marion, the Peach Belt Conference regular-season champion, falls to 37-15 and will face Wingate University on Friday morning at 11 a.m.  The Patriots have lost their tournament opener in each of the past two PBC and NCAA Tournament appearances.  Catawba (41-13), the South Atlantic Conference regular-season champion, advances to face UNC Pembroke on Friday at 7 p.m.  UNCP blanked Columbus State University 6-0 in Thursday's opening contest.

In a battle of conference Pitchers of the Year, the two teams combined for only 11 hits.  FMU was held to the four hits, three of which were of the infield variety.  Lomascolo (9-3) struck out only one and walked four in his 10 frames while throwing 123 pitches.  He retired the final eight Patriot batters and did not allow a hit after Buddy Sosnoskie's bunt single with one out in the sixth inning.  FMU came into the game hitting .359 against left-handed pitchers.

FMU sophomore righty Don Sandifer pitched nine frames, fanning eight, walking three, and throwing 129 pitches.  Patriot junior righty Jarrott Hooks (4-1) pitched the decisive top of 10th and was tagged with the loss.

Francis Marion took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Lead-off batter Michael Wilson was hit on the top of his helmet by a pitch, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a fly out, and scored on a two-out RBI single from senior first baseman Preston Shuey. It was Shuey's team-leading 63rd RBI of the season – three shy of the team single-season record – while extending his career record to 209.

Sandifer made that lead stand until the top of the ninth.  With one out, Catawba first baseman Austin Moyer ripped a single to center field.  Pinch-runner Keaton Hawks then moved to second on a wild pitch before Sandifer struck out John Neese for the second out.  Indian shortstop Brett Underwood then laced Sandifer's first pitch into left field scoring Hawks with the tying run.

In the top of the 10th, Catawba second baseman Julio Zubillaga singled to right center off Hooks.  He was sacrificed to second and then scored on an RBI-single to left by catcher Josh Hohn.

"It was a well-played game," said Francis Marion head coach Art Inabinet.  "We got one big hit in the first inning, and they got two big hits, one in the ninth and one in the tenth. That was the difference in the game."

When asked about now having to come back through the loser's bracket he said, "It takes a special individual to want to come out and play tomorrow, knowing you have to win four or five games in a row. These guys have to look down within themselves. If we lose, the season is over. We have to find a way to win a game, get a little confidence and hang around as long as we can."

Shuey added, "We've done it before, so I know we can. It was tough when we did it last year (reaching title game in the 2010 regional). We have lot of new guys, and hopefully we can give them the experience of coming back through."

He also said, "He (Lomascolo) had everything working. He didn't get behind in the count too much, just threw strikes and forced bad contact."

Sandifer said of his pitch to Underwood in the ninth, "He got a pretty good hit to right on a fastball earlier in the game. His other at-bats, I was throwing him outside sliders and he wasn't hitting them hard, so I went back to it. I left it over the plate and he was on it. I wish I could take it back." Underwood was the only player in the game with two hits.

Francis Marion entered the game with a 34-0 mark this season when leading after six innings and it was the first time that the Patriots lost when allowing less than three runs (26-1). FMU had beaten the Indians in each of the past two NCAA regionals.

FMU second baseman Brock McCallister had an infield single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

        Don Sandifer