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FLORENCE, SC- Nationally-ranked Francis Marion University rallied for five runs, the final four unearned, in the bottom of the seventh inning to capture a 5-4 non-conference win over Newberry College, Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 8) in college baseball action.

Francis Marion (2-1) is ranked in the top 10 of three national polls, including sixth in the College Baseball Newspaper poll.  The Patriots will play host to the Auddie Brown Classic this weekend with five games being played in three days at Cormell Field.  FMU will open the event by playing Young Harris College on Friday at 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Patriots trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the seventh and had been held to only three singles.  In the decisive seventh, FMU used five hits and a key two-out error to rally.  Senior left fielder Tyler Boyd drove in the first run with an unusual fielder's choice fly ball to left. The ball was trapped by the left fielder, but FMU base runner John Jones was forced out at third base as a runner scored. 

Trailing 4-1 with two outs and runners on first and second, Patriot leadoff batter Michael Wilson reached on a fielding error by the Newberry first baseman, who was a late-game defensive replacement.  Senior second baseman Brock McCallister followed by driving in the second run with an infield single. Senior center fielder Buddy Sosnoskie tied the game at 4-4 with a two-run single up the middle, and the Patriots took the lead on an RBI-single to right-center by junior infielder Stephen Tarkenton.

Junior southpaw Evan Brown (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for Newberry, while FMU junior righty Gary Ashcraft (1-0) earned the win in relief in his first appearance as a Patriot.  Junior righty Don Sandifer came in and pitched a scoreless ninth frame to earn his first career save.  He did allow a lead-off walk and that runner eventually reached third base, but Sandifer got pinch-hitter D.J. Roberts to fly out to end the game.

Jones led FMU at the plate with a 3-for-3 afternoon, while Tarkenton was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Tarkenton, a relative of former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton, is now 6-for-12  this season. Sosnoskie has hit in 29 of his last 32 contests dating back to last season, and has safety reached base in 57 of his 60 contests as a Patriot.

Starting first baseman Robby Scaggs was the lone Newberry (1-4) player with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in.

Newberry scored single runs in the second and third innings off Patriot starter Jeffrey Stoner.  The late rally enabled Stoner to keep his career record perfect at 9-0.

The lead increased to 4-0 in the top of the seventh when starting pitcher turned designated hitter Josh McElwee drilled a 390-foot two-run homer over the left centerfield fence.