Box Score FLORENCE, SC – Junior right-hander Jeffrey Stoner tossed 6.2 strong innings in relief to back a 15-hit offensive attack as Francis Marion University rallied for an 11-6 non-conference win over Newberry College, Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 6) in college baseball action.
Francis Marion evens its record at 2-2 and will entertain the College of Saint Rose for a three-game series this weekend. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Senior designated hitter Will Chandler and junior right fielder Isaac Davenport led the Patriots with three hits apiece. Davenport also drove in two runs and Chandler one.
FMU junior shortstop Michael Wilson and junior left fielder Dalton Gress each registered a pair of hits, with Wilson reaching base safely three times from the lead-off position. Both senior center fielder Jarrod Reed and junior first baseman David DeWolfe had one hit, a run scored, and two RBIs.
Stoner (1-0) entered the game as the third Patriot pitcher with one out, two runners on, and FMU clinging to a 6-4 lead in the top of third inning. He finished the game, allowing only three hits and two runs and fanning eight with no walks. He threw 68 pitches, of which 53 found the strike zone.
Newberry starter Mario Rojas (0-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs in the first frame. Four Wolves hitters recorded two hits apiece: left fielder Wesley Camp, third baseman Ryan Cranmer, first baseman Albert Baur, and second baseman Andy Vogel. Cranmer also drove in a pair of runs.
Newberry (4-2) scored three times in the top of the first, and in the process chased FMU freshman starter Trevor Hutto. The Patriots answered with six in their half of the opening frame, aided by a booted double play grounder. Reed plated two with a single to right center and DeWolfe drove in a pair with a single to right field.
After Stoner restored order in the top of the third, FMU added to its 6-4 advantage with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chandler and Davenport rapped out run-scoring hits, senior third baseman Stephen Tarkenton lifted a sacrifice fly, and the final run of the frame came home on a wild pitch.
The Wolves scored twice in the top of the sixth to pull to within 10-6, but FMU answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning – on an RBI double to left center by junior left fielder Casey Gebhardt – to complete the scoring.
Stoner retired the final 10 Newberry batters in order. The victory ups his career mark at FMU to 16-4.
Francis Marion Univ. 11, Newberry College 6 (Feb 06, 2013 at Florence, SC)
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Newberry College.... 301 002 000 - 6 9 2 (4-2)
Francis Marion Univ. 600 041 00X - 11 15 1 (2-2)
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Pitchers: Newberry College - Mario Rojas; Brandon Ahrens(1); Matt Chapman(5); Evan Brown(6);
T.J. Hoard(8) and Matt Gaine; D.J. Roberts. Francis Marion Univ. - Trevor Hutto; John Rossi(1);
Jeffrey Stoner(3) and Jacob Golliday.
Win-Jeffrey Stoner (1-0) Loss-Mario Rojas (0-1) T-2:29 A-420
Weather: Clear, Nice, 66 degrees
