SAVANNAH, GA – Behind strong starting pitching, 29th-ranked Francis Marion University split a doubleheader with Armstrong State University, winning 6-5 in 10 innings and then losing 8-3 in eight innings due to darkness, Sunday afternoon (Feb.21) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.

The Patriots (10-2, 2-1) will return home to host a three-team weekend tournament on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium. FMU will face the College of Saint Rose on Friday (Feb. 26) and Saturday (Feb. 27), with both games slated to start at 2 p.m. The Patriots will round out the weekend with a matchup against Millersville University on Sunday at 1 p.m.

FMU senior right fielder JD Crowe extended his streak of safely reaching base to 44 games with a walk in his first at-bat of game one and then a pair of hits in the second game. Crowe finished the day going 3-for-6, with three walks and three runs scored.

Senior Patriot right-hander Fernando Pinillos looked to keep his record perfect on the season in Sunday's opener, but would exit with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Patriots trailing 5-4. Pinillos tossed 7.1 innings and fanned five batters while walking two. In all, he would allow five runs, with three of them coming in the seventh.

Francis Marion didn't wait long to get onto the scoreboard in the opening game as senior left fielder Casey Clauss delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead. ASU (4-7, 0-6) tied the game up in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single from junior left fielder Ryan Patterson. The Pirates would leave the bases-loaded as Pinillos picked up back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Pirate senior designated hitter Jerad Curry made it a 2-1 game with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.

The Patriots would use a three-run top of the eighth inning to take a brief 4-2 lead. The inning was highlighted by a RBI single up from junior infielder Antonio Pino and two wild pitches that turned into a pair of runs.

The Pirates scored three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning as Pinillos would exit. Junior righty Chance DuCharme would retire the only batter he faced in the inning to strand the bases-loaded.

FMU senior center fielder Shuler Ward would come through in the clutch for the Patriots in the top of the ninth inning. Trailing 5-4, Ward delivered a single into center field that would score senior second baseman Cole Morris from third base.

Clauss would drive-in the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning with a single to left field, scoring Crowe from second base to make it 6-5. DuCharme (1-0) was credited with the win after working a clean bottom half of the inning. DuCharme struck out four of the nine batters that he faced in 2.1 scoreless innings.

In the second game, freshman right-hander Cole Hinnant got the nod for the Patriots. Hinnant tossed four innings of one run baseball, while also going 1-for-2 at the plate with one RBI. He would pick up a no-decision as freshman southpaw Arien Seymour took over the pitching duties.

Seymour (2-1) would end up taking the loss for the Patriots as he surrendered three runs. He worked a clean fifth inning before failing to record an out in the sixth inning.

FMU would score all three of its runs in the top of the third inning. The Patriots plated a pair of runs after Clauss reached base on a throwing error by the Pirates shortstop.

ASU sealed the deal in the nightcap with a seven-run bottom of the sixth inning. The inning was highlighted by a three-run home run from second baseman Cody Sherlin. FMU senior righty Brandon Cook would toss the final two innings of the game, surrendering just one hit and striking out two batters.