FLORENCE, SC – Senior center fielder Shuler Ward collected a pair of hits and drove in a run as undefeated Francis Marion University picked up a 4-1 win to finish-off a three game non-conference sweep of Southern Wesleyan University, Saturday afternoon (Feb.13) in collegiate baseball action.

The Patriots' 8-0 start matches the best start in program history, as the 1997 squad also opened their campaign with the same mark. FMU will attempt to set a new mark when the Patriots host Belmont Abbey College for a single game on Wednesday (Feb.17) at 6 p.m. on Faculty Appreciation Night.

FMU freshman southpaw Arien Seymour (2-0) faced 25 batters through six innings in his first career start. He scattered eight hits, but was able to limit the damage with some help from his defense. He would allow just one earned run, while striking out seven Warrior batters and walking only one.

FMU hurlers have allowed only two earned runs over the Patriots' last 49 innings.

Senior right fielder JD Crowe extended his streak of safely reaching base to 40 games with a two-out triple in the home half of the first inning. Senior second baseman Cole Morris, junior shortstop Zach Callahan, and Ward all collected RBIs in the decisive three-run sixth inning for the Patriots. FMU's bottom four batters in the lineup accounted for five of the teams' eight hits in the game.

Southern Wesleyan (5-3) scratched across one run in the top of the fifth inning to take a 1-0 lead against Seymour. Freshman right-hander Josh Core (0-1) did his best to keep the Patriots off of the scoreboard through the early portion of the game. He tossed five innings of scoreless baseball before the FMU bats would strike for some offense and chase him from the mound.

Junior center fielder DiMarkus Sanders finished the game 2-for-5 in the Warriors' lead-off spot.

Senior first baseman Randy Loew kicked off the home half of the sixth inning with a double to center field.  Junior catcher Logan Koch did his job following Loew as his ground-out to second base moved the runner to third base. With one out, Morris sent a fly ball to deep center field that was caught, but allowed Loew to score and tie the game at 1-1.

Sophomore designated hitter Zach Paquette would later score from first base on an RBI-double to left by Callahan to put FMU on top 2-1. The Patriots rounded out the scoring with a RBI-single from Ward to stretch the lead to 3-1.

FMU would turn to the bullpen for the final three innings of the contest as junior right-hander Chance DuCharme had his number called upon. The Warriors wouldn't go down without a fight as they loaded up the bases in the top of the seventh inning. The inning opened with a Patriot fielding error. DuCharme battled back to retire the next two batters, however, a pair of singles would load the bases and chase him from the game.

After watching the Warriors battle to put the potential go-ahead run on base, Patriots head coach Art Inabinet called up freshman right-hander Cole Hinnant to get the team out of the jam. Hinnant would need just three pitches to induce a fly ball to left field that ended the inning. Francis Marion added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning as an error by the Warriors' third baseman allowed Koch to score from third base.

Junior right-hander John McGinty entered the game in the top of the ninth inning looking to close out the game for the Patriots. McGinty struck out two of the three batters that came to the plate to earn his first save of the season and secure the 4-1 victory.