Box Score PEMBROKE, NC – Junior left fielder JD Crowe clouted a tie-breaking two-run homer in the top of the seventh and added a two-run double in the next frame, while junior southpaw Jimmy Lindberg pitched 5.1 innings in relief as Francis Marion University rallied to defeat 30th-ranked UNC Pembroke 17-12, Friday night (April 10) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.
Francis Marion improves to 24-12 overall and 12-8 in the Peach Belt, while also leap-frogging the Braves (27-10, 13-9) in the conference standings. The two squads will play a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m. and conclude the three-game series with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday, all on UNCP's Sammy Cox Field.
The game pitted two of the top scoring teams in NCAA Division II. Francis Marion entered Friday ranked 11th nationally at 8.9 runs per contest, while the Braves lead the PBC at 10.0 runs per game.
Lindberg was just good enough to allow the Patriot bats to awake and rally for the road win. He entered in the third inning with FMU already trailing 6-1. He held the Braves to one tally over the next three frames as FMU rallied to take a 9-7 advantage.
UNCP scored three times off Lindberg (2-0) in the sixth to knot the game at 10-10, but Francis Marion scored seven unanswered runs to take a 17-10 lead. Lindberg allowed five earned runs on 12 hits in his 5.1 innings. Junior righty Brandon Cook got the final five outs to seal the win.
Senior first baseman Conner Wessel and junior third baseman Randy Loew led the Patriots at the plate as both produced 4-for-6 efforts with three runs scored, two driven in, and two doubles. Sophomore shortstop Zach Callahan was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and three RBIs.
FMU junior designated hitter Ryan Miller collected two hits, including a three-run homer in the fourth that gave FMU a 9-6 advantage. Crowe drove in four with his two hits and extended his hitting streak to nine games and he has now reached base safely in the past 21 contests.
Logan Cook (5-3) the second of four Brave hurlers absorbed the loss. Designated hitter Nolan Pierce led a 20-hit UNCP attack with a perfect 4-for-4 night that included a double, homer, and three RBIs. The right side of the Braves infield – first baseman Dalton Knight and second baseman Drew Beaver – contributed six hits (three apiece), while third baseman Collins Cuthrell hit his nation-leading 20th home run of the season.
After Crowe's two-run shot in the seventh snapped the 10-10 deadlock – and Lindberg retired the Braves in order in the last of the seventh – FMU struck for five runs in the eighth. That outburst included the two-run double by Crowe and run-scoring singles by Callahan, junior second baseman Cole Morris, and Wessel.
Francis Marion 17, #30 UNC Pembroke 12 (Apr 10, 2015 at Pembroke, N.C.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Francis Marion...... 104 401 250 - 17 19 3 (24-12, 12-8 PBC)
UNC Pembroke........ 420 103 020 - 12 20 0 (27-10, 13-9 PBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Francis Marion - Matt Kelley; Jimmy Lindberg(3); Brandon Cook(8) and Matt Rubino.
UNC Pembroke - Wes Helsabeck; Logan Cook(4); Austin Hill(7); Jimmie Davis(9) and Wiley Jackson.
Win-Jimmy Lindberg(2-0) Loss-Logan Cook(5-3) T-3:50 A-214
HR FMU - JD Crowe (5); Matt Rubino (6); Ryan Miller (1).
HR UNCP - Collins Cuthrell (20); Nolan Pierce (2).
Weather: Mostly Cldy, 84 Deg, SW 16 mph
JD Crowe
