(photo by Antonio Lockhart)

SAVANNAH, GA – Senior first baseman Randy Loew worked a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 12th inning to give 29th-ranked Francis Marion University a 5-4 win against Armstrong State University in Peach Belt Conference baseball play on Saturday (Feb.20) afternoon. 

FMU entered PBC play looking to get back into the win column after wednesday's first loss, but the game was sent to extra innings after Armstrong State scored in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game 4-4.

The Patriots (9-1, 1-0) will continue PBC play with a pair of games Sunday (Feb. 21) against Pirates in Savannah, Ga. The first game of the twinbill is set for a 11 a.m.

FMU senior right fielder JD Crowe extended his streak of safely reaching base to 42 games with a double in his first at-bat. Six Patriots finished with at least two hits in the contest, with the two through five batters in the lineup accounting for eight of the teams' 13 hits. Loew would produce the Patriots' first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field in the top of the fifth inning. Loew finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate with a walk and three RBIs.

Later in the fifth, senior left fielder Casey Clauss delivered a single to plate Crowe and give FMU a two-run cushion. Clauss finished the game 2-for-5 with a walk and two RBIs. The Pirates would answer with a run in the bottom half of the inning against FMU senior right-hander Matt Kelley. He also wouldn't factor into the final decision after exiting the game with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kelley worked six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits.

Armstrong State (4-5, 0-4) was led by lead-off hitter Cody Sherlin's 3-for-5 effort at the plate that included a pair of doubles and scored two runs. Right-hander Corey Kafka got the start for the Pirates and wouldn't factor into the final decision. He allowed four earned runs over 6.1 innings of work. Righty Tyler Graham (0-2) worked the final 4.1 innings, suffering his second loss of the season, allowing one earned run on three hits.

FMU added to their lead in the top of the seventh inning by scoring a pair of runs to take a 4-1 lead. With one out in the inning, junior shortstop Antonio Pino reached on an error. Pino would score from second base on a single by Loew into left-center field. Clauss followed that up with an RBI single of his own into center field.

Trailing 4-1, the Pirates would plate two runs to get right back into the contest. Kelley started the bottom half of the inning, but would exit after allowing a double to the first batter. Senior lefty Daniel Barfield would be called upon to hold Armstrong State at bay. After allowing a run, the Patriots would make another call to the bullpen and turn to junior righty Jacob Shumate. One more run would score, cutting the FMU lead to 4-3 before Shumate got the third out to end the frame.

Shumate (1-0) would go the rest of the way for the Patriots as he registered 5.2 innings of relief. The Pirates would send the game to extras by scoring the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning, the benefit of a Patriot error. With the game in the hands of both bullpens, the contest would remain deadlocked through the next two full innings.

FMU junior catcher Logan Koch started the top of the 12th inning by reaching base on an error by the shortstop. A single from senior center fielder Shuler Ward would move Koch over to second base and put the potential go-ahead run into scoring position. Both runners would advance a base on a wild pitch with no outs in the inning. With two outs in the frame and the bases loaded, Loew stepped up to the plate looking to bring at least one run. He would bring in the eventual game winning run by working a walk.

Leading 5-4, Shumate would close the door for the Patriots and work around a two-out walk to secure his first win of the season. Shumate got the first two batters of the inning to fly-out and then got a ground ball for a force-out at second base.

#29 Francis Marion 5, Armstrong State 4 (Feb 20, 2016 at Savannah, Ga.)
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Francis Marion......   000 020 200 001  -  5 13  3      (9-1, 1-0 PBC)
Armstrong State..... 000 010 201 000  -  4 10  2      (4-5, 0-4 PBC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Matt Kelley; Daniel Barfield(7); Jacob Shumate(7) and Logan Koch.  Armstrong State - Kafka; Royal(7); Graham(8) and Curry.
Win-Jacob Shumate (1-0)  Loss-Graham (0-2)  T-4:25  A-187
Weather: clear and seasonable
Kelley faced 1 batter in the 7th.