GREENWOOD, SC – Senior right-hander Don Sandifer pitched a complete-game seven-hitter and senior catcher Jacob Golliday homered and drove in four runs to power sixth-seeded Francis Marion University to a 10-2 win over 10th-ranked and third-seeded Armstrong Atlantic State University, Wednesday afternoon (May 8) in the opening round of the 2013 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament.

Francis Marion (28-18) advances to play on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. against seventh-seeded Georgia College, an 8-5 winner over second-seeded Columbus State University in Wednesday's opening game.

Armstrong (31-14) falls into the elimination bracket and will face Columbus State on Thursday at 10 a.m.

Live stats and video of the tournament can be found at http://www.peachbeltconference.org/information/13basetournament/index

Sandifer (6-5) registered his first complete game of the season and the ninth of his career in his FMU career-record 44th start. He struck out three and walked only two, while throwing a career-high 135 pitches.  He ups his career mark to 25-13.

Golliday finished the day 3-for-5 with two runs scored, in addition to his four RBIs.  His three-run opposite-field home run highlighted a six-run third inning for the Patriots. 

Senior first baseman Rhodes Dickerson also rapped out three hits and was on base four times.  Four other Patriots had two hits and drove in one run: junior right field Isaac Davenport, senior designated hitter Will Chandler, junior shortstop Michael Wilson, and junior left fielder Dalton Gress.

Armstrong starter Chris Base (4-4) was tagged with the loss as he surrendered eight runs (all earned) on 10 hits in only 2.2 innings.  He also walked three.

Designated hitter R.J. Dennard led the Pirates offensively as he finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Davenport drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Stephen Tarkenton, and came home on an RBI-double to center field by Chandler.

Francis Marion doubled its advantage in the second when Dickerson led off with a single to center, advanced to second on a single by Gress, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brett Fulmer, and scored on an RBI ground out by Golliday.

The Pirates plated a run in the bottom half of the second frame to cut the deficit to 2-1. Dennard opened the inning with a single through the right side of the infield and eventually came around to score when Johnson's infield grounder was misplayed.

Francis Marion responded with six runs in the top of the third inning to push its lead to 8-1.
Chandler, who doubled down the left-field line, scored on an RBI-triple by Wilson. Wilson then crossed home on a single to center field by Gress. Fulmer doubled home a third run before two base runners strolled home on Golliday's three-run blast, his third homer of the season.

The Patriots added single tallies in the sixth inning – on a double play grounder – and seventh innings – Davenport's RBI single to center – to push their lead to 10-1.

Armstrong scored its final run in the bottom half of the seventh to cut the deficit to 10-2.

Although he saw his 10-game hitting streak ended, FMU senior center fielder Jarrod Reed saved a run in the bottom of the eighth with a fully-extended diving catch in right center field that ended that half inning.