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COLUMBUS, GA. – Sophomore shortstop Michael Wilson rapped out four hits and every Patriot starter registered at least one hit as sixth-ranked Francis Marion University beat 28th-ranked Georgia College 12-2, Thursday afternoon (May 10) in an elimination game of the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament.

Francis Marion improves to 35-15 and advances to play the Lander University/Columbus State University loser at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.  Georgia College, the top seed from the West Division, ends its season at 29-21.

The victory also makes this senior class the winningest group in Francis Marion history as the Patriots have posted 154 victories over the past four seasons.

Senior southpaw Matt Broderick (8-2) earned the win on the mound for the Patriots.  He struck out four, walked one, and allowed two earned runs on eight hits in six innings pitched. He surrendered both runs on three hits in the bottom of the first, but then recovered to throw five scoreless frames.

FMU junior righty Don Sandifer closed with three scoreless innings and was credited with his third save.

Georgia College's Mike Guinane (3-7) was tagged with the loss, striking out four, walking one, and allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in 6.2 innings.

Wilson finished 4-for-6 with three runs scored, while junior first baseman Rhodes Dickerson was 3-for-5 with a run scored and two driven in.  He entered the contest with three hits on the season and no RBIs.

FMU seniors Tyler Boyd (2-for-3) and Brian Paulhus (2-for-4) and junior third baseman Stephen Tarkenton (2-for-6) all had multiple hit games. Junior catcher Jacob Golliday drove in three runs with a two-run single and a bases-loaded walk, while junior right fielder Jarrod Reed drilled a two-run double.  The Patriots totaled 17 hits.

GC got off to its good start with back-to-back RBI singles by Cody Maas and Jeremy Donaldson in the bottom of the first.

The Patriots stormed back in the top of the third to take a 3-2 advantage on Reed's two-RBI double down the left field line that plated Wilson and Paulhus.  Senior center fielder Buddy Sosnoskie's sacrifice fly sent Brock McCallister across the plate with the third tally.

FMU stretched its lead to 4-2 in the fourth on Dickerson's single up the middle that scored Boyd. The Patriots then made it 5-2 in the sixth when Boyd – who reached on a hit by pitch – stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on Paulhus' RBI single.

The Patriots added two more runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Tarkenton and Dickerson.  FMU continued the scoring barrage with three more markers in the eighth on Golliday's two-RBI single and Tarkenton's RBI double to go up 10-2.

Dickerson and Wilson scored the Patriots' final runs in the ninth on McCallister's RBI single and Golliday's bases-loaded walk.

Donaldson (2-for-4) was the lone Bobcat with more than one hit.

Sosnoskie stroked his 19th double which tied him for the conference lead.