FLORENCE, SC – Seventh-ranked Lander University survived a shaky first inning and then scored five times over the final three frames to defeat Francis Marion University 8-2, Friday night (March 8) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.

Francis Marion saw its four-game winning streak snapped as the Patriots dip to 8-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play.  The loss also broke a five-game winning streak for FMU over the Bearcats.  Lander improves to 16-3 overall and a PBC-leading 9-1. 

The two squads teams will conclude their three-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

Senior third baseman Stephen Tarkenton led FMU at the plate with a 2-for-3 evening before a Race Night (sponsored by Darlington Raceway) crowd of 602.

Lander right-hander Dylan Wolchick (4-1) allowed only four hits and two runs over seven innings, while reliever Ryan Jones earned his second save of 2013 with a pair of hitless inning.

FMU senior righty Gary Ashcraft (2-2) took the loss despite striking out a career-high 12 batters in 6.2 innings.  He surrendered seven hits and four runs.

Francis Marion took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff batter Michael Wilson walked, stole second base, and scampered home on Isaac Davenport's run-scoring single up the middle.  However, the Patriots had runners on first and third with one out and later had the bases loaded with two outs in the frame, but could not push across another tally.

After the shaky first, Wolchick retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced, while Lander scored once in the third and got back-to-back solo homers from Patrick Grady and Connor Lewis in the sixth inning to take a 3-1 advantage.

The Patriots got one run back in the bottom of the sixth when Tarkenton led off with a double into the left field corner and two batters later scored on Rhodes Dickerson's sacrifice fly to right field.

Lander scored a single run in the seventh before breaking the game open with four in the top of ninth.  Weston Lawing laced a three-run triple into the left center field gap and continued around to score when the relay throw was wild to third base.

For Lander, Grady went 3-for-4, Lewis 2-for-3, Erik Lunde 2-for-4, and Lawing 2-for-5.