FLORENCE, SC – Senior shortstop Michael Wilson registered five hits, drove in eight runs, and scored four times to power Francis Marion University to a doubleheader sweep of Saint Augustine's University, 11-7 and 20-4, Tuesday evening (April 8) in non-conference baseball action.

Francis Marion improves to 21-17, while the Falcons fall to 14-26.  FMU will return to Peach Belt Conference play this weekend when the Patriots play host to 30th-ranked UNC Pembroke. The three-game series will consist of single games on Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

On Tuesday, Wilson went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs as FMU won the opener 11-7.  The Florence native was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, including a grand slam home run and a bases-loaded walk, as Francis Marion claimed a 20-4 victory.

In game one, FMU built a 10-5 lead after three frames, thanks in large part an eight-run second inning.  That explosion included a solo home run and an RBI single by senior left fielder Casey Gebhardt as the Patriots sent 12 batters to the plate.  Junior catcher Nicholas McGee also homered, while Wilson and senior first baseman David DeWolfe both ripped two-run doubles in the frame.

In addition to Wilson and Gebhardt (2-for-4), junior right fielder Zac Lenns went 2-for-3 with a triple, a homer, and three runs scored, while senior third baseman Luke Tollison was 2-for-4 with a run batted in.

Junior southpaw Cody Dix (3-1) picked up the win in relief of FMU starter Austin Cox.

Saint Augustine's righty Ian Delemarre (1-5) was the losing pitcher.  The Falcons were led by right fielder Clarence Peace, who launched a pair of long solo home runs over the left centerfield wall.  Catcher Darryl Washington-Hardy also had two hits and an RBI.

With the help of a two-run homer by Tollison and Wilson's grand slam, Francis Marion built a 7-1 advantage after two innings in the second contest.  However, the Falcons scored three times in the third inning to chase FMU starter Gordon Owens and trim the margin to 7-4.  FMU answered with seven runs in the third, two in the fourth, and four in the fifth to seal the victory.

FMU senior center fielder Isaac Davenport was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two driven in, while Wilson was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and five RBIs.  Tollison was 2-for-4 with four runs driven in and extended his hitting streak to 11 games, while DeWolfe and sophomore second baseman Cole Morris each recorded two hits.  McGee was 1-for-3 with an RBI, but he scored four times.

Junior right-hander Jeremy Hatfield (2-1), the second of three Patriot hurlers, earned the win.  Saint Augustine's starter Brock Holmes (0-3) lasted only two innings and was tagged with the loss.

Both center fielder Jamie Scott and left fielder Jason Baytop had two hits for the Falcons in the nightcap.

FMU's Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium, known as a pitcher's park where the ball does not carry, surrendered seven home runs, three triples, and 10 doubles on Tuesday.  Warm weather and a slight breeze blowing out to left field helped in the outburst.