FLORENCE, SC – Senior right-hander Gary Ashcraft and three relievers combined on a three-hit shutout and senior third baseman Stephen Tarkenton reached base five times as Francis Marion University completed a three-game sweep of Augusta State University with its third straight 8-0 win over the Jaguars, Sunday afternoon (April 21) in college baseball action.

Francis Marion (25-16) sweeps its second straight PBC weekend series and is now tied for third in the conference standings at 17-9.  ASU falls to 10-33 overall and 3-21 in the PBC with its 16th consecutive loss.

The Patriots will take a break for exams before returning to the field for their final conference series, May 2-3, at Young Harris College.

Ashcraft (5-4) allowed three singles in his six innings, while striking out seven and walking only one.  The four FMU hurlers combined to retire the final 12 Jaguar hitters in order.  For the weekend, Francis Marion pitchers fanned 31 batters in the 27 innings.

Tarkenton was 3-for-3 with two walks, a double, two runs scored, and one run batted in.  Both senior designated hitter Will Chandler and freshman catcher Cole Morris had two hits apiece.  Lead-off batter Jarrod Reed drove in two runs with a single and a groundout.

Senior first baseman Rhodes Dickerson went 0-for-5 to snap his career-best 18-game hitting streak, but he did drive in one run.  He had hit safely in 32 of his last 33 contests before Sunday.  Junior right fielder Isaac Davenport slapped a double down the left field line in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

Augusta State starter Phil Dukes (2-1) pitched the first inning and absorbed the loss.  He was the first of five ASU pitchers.

FMU plated all eight of its runs over the first four frames.  An RBI double down the left field line by Tarkenton plated the first run in the bottom of the first and junior shortstop Michael Wilson later added an RBI single to right.

Run-scoring hits by Reed and Chandler and an RBI groundout by Davenport extended the advantage to 5-0 in the bottom of the second.

The three Jaguars hits were by designated hitter Bradley Dennis, second baseman Hunter Boose, and shortstop Kevin Dodson.