PEMBROKE, NC – Senior catcher Matt Rubino went 3-for-3, including a home run and a two-run single, and helped orchestrate a valiant Francis Marion University rally, but the Patriots came up one run shy of the 30th-ranked UNC Pembroke Braves by a 6-5 decision on Saturday (April 11) in game two of a Peach Belt Conference baseball series.

Francis Marion drops to 24-13 overall and 12-9 in the Peach Belt, while the Braves' (28-10, 14-9) victory helps them reclaim fourth place in the PBC standings.  The rubber game is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. at UNCP.

Rubino hit the ground running with his two-out, two-run single in the first to open the scoring for FMU.  But a first-inning round-tripper by third baseman Collins Cuthrell (his nation-leading 21st of the season), as well as third-inning homers from left fielder Billy Vaughn (who went 3-for-4) and shortstop Zade Denton spearheaded UNCP to a 6-2 advantage.

As junior right-hander Ryan Manore pitched 5.1 shutout relief innings, Francis Marion's sluggers engineered another comeback, much like game one of the series when the Patriots rallied from five runs down to win a 17-12 slugfest.  A homer from Rubino (his team-leading seventh) as well as from junior second baseman Cole Morris sliced the deficit to 6-4 in the sixth.  For Morris, it was his first career homer in 238 at bats.

FMU junior right fielder Zac Lenns produced a run on a groundout in the eighth to pull the Patriots to within 6-5. 

In the ninth, Morris ripped a two-out single and reached third on a Braves' error, but was stranded as UNCP sophomore Alex Britt notched his fourth save.  One pitch prior to the game's final offering which resulted in a strikeout, the UNCP catcher had to block a potential wild pitch that would have allowed Morris to score the tying run.

Senior righty Andy Sullivan (3-1) escaped with the win on the mound, striking out six Patriots in the game's first seven innings.  Junior southpaw Daniel Barfield (3-1) was the losing FMU hurler as he allowed four runs in only 2.1 innings.

Morris finished the day with a 2-for-5 output for Francis Marion. Junior left fielder JD Crowe had his hitting streak stopped at nine games, but continued his streak of reaching base safely in 22 consecutive games.