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FLORENCE, SC – Senior right-hander Jarrott Hooks pitched 8.2 scoreless innings, the longest relief effort in team history, allowing eighth-ranked Francis Marion University to cruise to a 4-0 victory over St. Andrews University, Tuesday night (April 17) in non-conference baseball action.

Francis Marion, 19-4 in its last 23 contests, ups its season mark to 31-13. The Patriots return to action on Wednesday night when they play host to local-rival Coker College at 7 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

FMU pounded out 14 hits, but did not decide the outcome until scoring twice in the last of the eighth.

Hooks (6-0) relieved Patriot starter Jeremy Knab with one out and runners on first and second and one out in the top of the first.  Before throwing one pitch, Hooks picked the runner off second. He allowed only four singles, while fanning six and walking only one.  The Marion native ran his career record to 14-1, including 12-1 over the past two years.

Senior second baseman Brock McCallister paced Francis Marion with three hits, while sophomore shortstop Michael Wilson, senior center fielder Buddy Sosnoskie, junior right fielder Jarrod Reed, and junior first baseman Luke Tollison all rapped out two hits apiece.

FMU senior left fielder Tyler Boyd singled to lead off the fourth inning and extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

Reed singled to start the bottom of the fifth, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on an RBI-double down the left field line from Wilson.  The Patriots doubled their margin in the sixth to 2-0 on Tollison's run-scoring single to right.

Tollison's second RBI hit upped the margin to 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth.  Senior catcher Brian Paulhus then ripped a hard single past the third baseman and down the left field line to score Reed with the fourth and final run.

Center fielder Matt McCue accounted for two of St. Andrews' (11-34) four hits.  Junior right-hander Andrew Pelfrey (1-1) was tagged with the loss as he allowed three runs on 12 hits n 7.1 innings.

#8 Francis Marion Univ. 4, St. Andrews Univ. 0 (Apr 17, 2012 at Florence, SC)
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St. Andrews Univ....  000 000 000  -  0  4  0      (11-34)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 011 02X  -  4 14  2     (31-13)
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Pitchers: St. Andrews Univ. - ANDREW PELFREY; RYAN PIERCE (8) and JAKE ANDERSON.
Francis Marion Univ. - Jeremy Knab; Jarrott Hooks (1) and Brian Paulhus.
Win-Jarrott Hooks (6-0)  Loss-ANDREW PELFREY (1-1)  T-2:25  A-317
Weather: Partly Cloudy 84 degrees