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SAVANNAH, GA – Senior center fielder Buddy Sosnoskie rapped out four hits – three for extra bases – and drove in three runs, while Francis Marion University junior right-hander Spencer Jordan pitched six strong innings allowing the 23rd-ranked Patriots to claim a 7-1 Peach Belt Conference win over 17th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University, Monday afternoon (March 26).

Francis Marion improves to 21-11 overall and 10-7 in the Peach Belt with the rubber-game victory, while Armstrong drops to 20-8 and 8-7. The Patriots will travel to play Belmont Abbey College in a non-conference affair on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Sosnoskie, who had five hits in Sunday's doubleheader, finished Monday 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three driven in.  Batting in front of Sosnoskie, senior left fielder Tyler Boyd was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a sacrifice bunt that helped lead to a run.

Senior second Brock McCallister was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, while sophomore third baseman Michael Wilson was 2-for-4.

Jordan improved to 5-2 as he nearly silenced the potent Armstrong attack.  The Pirates lead NCAA Division II in runs scored and Monday marked the first time all season they had been held to fewer than four runs in a game.  Jordan scattered nine hits and struck out five in 6.1 innings. 

Senior righty Jarrott Hooks notched his fourth save of 2012 with 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.

In the top of the first frame, Boyd walked with one out and came all the way around to score on a single by Sosnoskie.  The Statesville, N.C., native then stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch, where he scored on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Stephen Tarkenton.

The Patriots threatened in the second, but stranded runners on second and third.  However, FMU did manage to double the margin in the fifth inning with some two-out work.  After two were down, Boyd singled through the left side and Sosnoskie drilled an RBI double to center.  Tarkenton walked to put two runners on, and McCallister followed with an RBI single up the middle to give Francis Marion a 4-0 advantage.

No Pirate reached second base until a one-double by catcher John Roberts in the bottom of the fifth. Armstrong did trim the FMU lead to 4-1 on a one-out homer to center field by Zach Taylor in the last of the sixth, but later in the frame Jordan got Roberts to ground into a force play with the bases loaded to end the rally.

Francis Marion answered with another RBI double by Sosnoskie in the top of the seventh to go up 5-1.  Right fielder Jarrod Reed coaxed a walk to open the frame, was sacrificed to second base by Boyd, and came around on Sosnoskie's drive to left center.  The speedy outfielder then moved to third on a flyout and came home with the Patriots' sixth run on a wild pitch by Armstrong starter Scott Strickland (5-1).

Spencer departed in the bottom of the seventh after allowing a pair of one-out base runners, but Hooks retired the next two Armstrong batters to snuff out the threat.

Sosnoskie drilled a one-out triple to right field in the ninth and scored Francis Marion's final tally on a second sac fly from Tarkenton.