COLUMBUS, GA – Shortstop Tyler Avera opened the scoring and ended the scoring for Armstrong State University with a lead-off homer and a walk-off run-scoring single as the 15th-ranked Pirates rallied for a 12-11 win over Francis Marion University, Saturday afternoon (May 9) in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Peach belt Conference Baseball Tournament.

The second-seeded Pirates (33-13) advance to Saturday's semifinals at 7 p.m. against the Columbus State University/UNC Pembroke winner.  The tournament title game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on CSU's Ragsdale Field.  Francis Marion, the seventh seed, ends its season with a 28-19 record.

The loss spoiled a three-hit, three-RBI afternoon for FMU sophomore designated hitter Zach Paquette and a two-hit, four-RBI day for All-Conference senior Matt Rubino.  Junior second baseman Randy Loew added a pair of hits and scored three runs.

FMU All-Conference pitcher Matt Kelley surrendered solo homers to the first two Pirate batters of the game – Avera and Cody Sherlin – as Armstrong State took an early 2-0 lead.

FMU stranded runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but finally broke through with three runs in the top of the third.  Junior All-Conference outfielder JD Crowe plated the first tally with a sacrifice fly, while Paquette tied the game with a two-out run-scoring single to left centerfield.  The Patriots took their first lead when Rubino scored on a two-out Pirate error.

Francis Marion increased its advantage to 4-2 in the top of the fifth on a second RBI single by Paquette.  However, Armstrong State answered with five runs in the last half of the fifth, highlighted by a three-run homer by Berry Aldridge, to retake the lead at 7-4.  That long ball knocked Kelley from the mound in favor of senior righty Jordy Santak.

Francis Marion responded with its second three-run frame in the top of the sixth.  The Patriots plated two runs without the benefit of a hit.  Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out.  Junior first baseman hitter Ryan Miller drove in the first run when he was hit by a pitch and Rubino forced in a second run with a bases-loaded walk.  Following a pitching change, Paquette drilled his third run-scoring single to knot the game at 7-7.

In the top of the seventh, FMU sophomore third baseman Zach Callahan led off with a single, was sacrificed to second, and took third on a bloop single to center by Loew.  After the Pirates brought on All-Conference reliever Tyler Graham, Crowe singled to shallow right giving the Patriots an 8-7 advantage. Following a strikeout, Rubino drilled a two-out opposite field three-run homer to stake Francis Marion to an 11-7 lead.

Armstrong again tied the game, this time at 11-11, with four two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth – three coming on a homer by JT Phillips and the fourth on a solo shot by Aldridge.  The Pirates then loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth against FMU junior southpaw Daniel Barfield (4-3) and Avera delivered his game-winning hit off right-hander Brandon Cook.

Graham (4-1) earned the win in relief.

Rubino finished the year with a .431 batting average and becomes the first Patriot in six seasons to hit .400 and only the second in the past 18 seasons.  His 63 RBIs was only four shy of the Patriot single-season mark.  Crowe ends the season on a 32-consecutive game streak of safely reaching base.