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FLORENCE, SC – Senior left-handed pitcher Matt Broderick pitched seven solid innings for his first career win as a Patriot and reserve infielder Luke Tollison blasted a two-run homer to lead 12th-ranked Francis Marion University to a 4-1 victory over 20th-ranked Mount Olive College, Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 22) in non-conference baseball action.

Broderick and senior righty Jarrott Hooks combined on a five-hitter as Francis Marion upped its record to 8-4.  The Patriots take to the road this weekend for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series at the University of Montevallo.  The two squads will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Central Time) and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT).

Mount Olive, which defeated FMU and Broderick 2-1 in last year's Southeast Regional title game, falls to 5-4 with its third consecutive loss.

Broderick improves to 1-0 as he was making his 17th career appearance in two years.  He allowed only four hits and one run, while striking out one and walking only one.  Fifty of his 75 pitches found the strike zone.

Hooks allowed just one single in his two innings, while fanning one to earn his second save of 2012.  The contest lasted only two hours (on the nose) before a short-sleeved crowd at Cormell Field.

Mount Olive southpaw Josh Frederick (0-1), the second of four Trojan hurlers, was tagged with the loss despite the deciding run being unearned.

Francis Marion took a 1-0 lead in the third when junior shortstop Tyler Hibbs reached on an infield error, advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by sophomore third baseman Michael Wilson, and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior second baseman Brock McCallister.

The Trojans tied the score in the top of the fifth on a solo homer to left by first baseman Daniel Oliver. The Patriots regained the lead in the last of the sixth with a single run.  Junior designated hitter Will Chandler singled with one out and took second when the ball was not fielded cleanly in the outfield.  Junior right fielder Jarrod Reed then delivered a two-out RBI-single up the middle.

Tollison, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning, added insurance runs with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

Chandler and Reed led the Patriots at the plate with 2-for-4 line scores, while junior infielder Stephen Tarkenton extended his hitting streak to eight games with an infield single in the seventh.

#12 Francis Marion Univ. 4, #20 Mount Olive College 1 (Feb 22, 2012 at Florence, SC)
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Mount Olive College. 000 010 000  -  1  5  2      (5-4)
Francis Marion Univ.  001 001 20X  -  4  9  0      (8-4)
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Pitchers: Mount Olive College - Skyler Sopotnick; Josh Frederick (5); Ryan Poplin (7);
Matt Dillon (8) and Geno Escalante. Francis Marion Univ. - Matt Broderick; Jarrott Hooks (8) and
Jacob Golliday.
Win-Matt Broderick (1-0)  Save-Jarrott Hooks (2)  Loss-Josh Frederick (0-1)  T-2:00  A-100
HR MOCBB - Daniel Oliver (1) ; FMU - Luke Tollison (1).