COLUMBUS, GA – Freshman right-hander Jeffrey Stoner pitched seven strong innings and ninth-ranked and top-seeded Francis Marion University adhered to its unselfish style of baseball to claim a 6-2 win over 15th-ranked Georgia College, Monday morning (May 9) in an elimination game at the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament in Columbus, Ga., at Golden Park.

The Patriots (37-13) avoid elimination and advance to Tuesday's 9 a.m. game against Augusta State University, a 6-2 loser to UNC Pembroke on Monday. Georgia College (35-17), the No.2 seed from the West Division, drops back-to-back games in the tournament and will now await word on a possible at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Junior second baseman Brock McCallister and senior left fielder Martin Gordon both had two hits for Francis Marion.  PBC Co-Player of the Year Buddy Sosnoskie reached on a walk and scored, but was 0-for-3 at the plate to snap his 21-game hitting streak.

Francis Marion entered the game ranked first nationally in sacrifice flies and sixth in sacrifice bunts.  On Monday morning, the Patriots added to their totals with a pair of sac flies and three runner-advancing bunts.

Stoner, a second-team All-PBC selection, remains unbeaten at 8-0.  He allowed only five hits and two runs, while striking out four.  Senior righty Patrick Mincey pitched the final two frames to earn his fourth save of the season.

FMU took a 1-0 lead in top of the first inning. PBC Freshman of the Year Michael Wilson was hit by the third pitch of the game from Bobcat starter Jason Nicholas.  He moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a ground out.  After John Jones walked, Preston Shuey plated Wilson with a fielder's choice grounder – a play that saw Shuey beat out the potential inning-ending double play relay throw.

Georgia College tied the game on an infield RBI single by Josh Young in the bottom of the third.  However, FMU answered back quickly with two runs in the top of the fourth.  Sosnoskie walked and went to third on a single by Gordon.  Sosnoskie then scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Boyd.  Junior catcher Brian Paulhus drove home Gordon with a two-out RBI single to center field.

The Patriots added to their lead in the fifth frame when McCallister led off with a doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Shuey to give FMU a 4-1 lead.  With his two RBIs, Shuey takes over the lead in the PBC with 62 and moves to within four of the FMU season mark of 66 set by Rich Keirstead in 1990.  Shuey also improved his school career record for runs driven in to 208. 

The Bobcats' ninth-place hitter, second baseman Luke McKay, trimmed the margin to 4-2 with a solo homer over the left-center field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning.  FMU senior Chris Honeycutt provided the Patriots with two insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a two-run, two-out, pinch-hit double.

Reliever Eric Pettepher (5-4) suffered the loss for the Bobcats, lasting just one inning and giving up two runs on two hits, while walking one. McKay led the Bobcats at the plate with a 2-for-4 day that included the homer and a double.