ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – Junior shortstop Antonio Pino finished the day 4-for-7 at the plate and drove in two runs to pace Francis Marion University offensively, but the Patriots dropped both games of a crucial Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader to Flagler College, Friday afternoon (May 6). The Saints rallied for 7-3 win in game one of the twinbill, and capped off the afternoon with a 10-1 game-two victory.

The Patriots, now 26-22 overall and 13-16 in conference play, fall to ninth place in the conference standings with one game left. Flagler improves to 28-18 overall and 15-14 in PBC play. With the pair of losses, the Patriots had their hopes of qualifying for the upcoming PBC Tournament dashed.

Francis Marion will conclude its 2016 schedule with the final game of the series against the Saints on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in St. Augustine, Fla.

FMU senior righty Fernando Pinillos pitched well in the opener, surrendering only two earned runs on six hits in 7.1 innings. He struck out five and walked three. Senior southpaw Daniel Barfield (1-2) was tagged with the loss for FMU after taking over for Pinillos with one out in the bottom of the eighth frame.

Flagler's Mike O'Reilly kept the Patriots off the scoreboard until the top of the third inning. He allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings, while fanning two batters. Kyle Schackne (3-0) was handed with the victory for the Saints, pitching the final 2.1 innings and surrendering only one hit.

Pino was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in to lead FMU at the plate, while senior right fielder JD Crowe was 3-for-4 with one RBI. Senior center fielder Shuler Ward was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored for the Patriots.

In the opener, Francis Marion stranded seven base runners, including a pair of runners in the top of the first inning. Flagler plated the first run of the game in the home portion of the first. A pair of back-to-back one-out doubles from left fielder Bryce Evans and second baseman Kolin McMillen gave the Saints a 1-0 advantage.

The Patriots tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third on a one-out RBI single to right center Pino. The base-knock scored Ward, who started the inning with an infield single. Flagler regained the lead at 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on Jabe Molinaro's RBI double.

Francis Marion quickly responded by scoring a run in the top of the fifth. The inning was almost identical to the third for FMU with Ward leading things off with a single and sophomore second baseman Brooks Kennedy sacrificing him over to second base. This time it would be Crowe that would drive in a run for the Patriots with his two-out single, scoring Ward from third to make it 2-2.

The teams would trade a pair of runs in the seventh inning with both starters winding down. Sophomore designated hitter Zach Paquette delivered a lead-off single on a 1-2 pitch from O'Reilly in the top-half of the frame. A pair of back-to-back infield ground-outs moved Paquette to third base. The situation would see Flagler make a call to the bullpen for a fresh arm with Pino at the plate for FMU. Pino would again deliver for the Patriots with a run-scoring single that deflected off of the pitcher's glove and went towards second base.

Trailing for the first time in the game, Flagler used an error by the Patriots to its advantage. Molinaro would reach base on a throwing error to get the home portion of the seventh going. The Saints played a little small-ball of their own with a sacrifice bunt to move the runner up a base. Molinaro would eventually advance to third on a ground-out and score on single from McMillen to knot the game 3-3.

Flagler would take the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth. Pinillos exited the game after recording the first out of the inning, yielding way to Barfield. The Saints would string together six consecutive hits to leap-out to a 7-3 lead. The four-run frame was highlighted by a go-ahead RBI double down the right field line from shortstop Nick Oberg that made it 4-3 Flagler.  

In the second game, Flagler would get onto the scoreboard early with a pair of runs scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Molinaro accounted for the first run of the game for the Saints with his two-out run-scoring single into center field. Dylan Jones would follow with a run-scoring single of his own into center field, upping the Flagler lead to 2-0.

Senior southpaw Matt Kelley (6-5) pitched efficiently early-on for the Patriots, surrendering just three runs through the first five innings. He would be handed with the loss as the Saints added seven runs against him over the final four frames. He struck out three batters and walked two in 7.1 innings. 

FMU looked to plate some runs early against Saints starter Michael Maiocco (7-1) but would come away empty handed. Crowe worked a two-out walk for the Patriots in the top of the first after Maiocco struck out both Kennedy and Pino. Senior first baseman Randy Loew would extend the inning by reaching on a fielder's choice to the shortstop. Maiocco would end the threat by striking out senior left fielder Casey Clauss.

Loew was the lone Patriot with multiple hits in game two as he went 2-for-4.

The Patriots would strand two more runners on base in the top of the third. Pino worked a one-out walk and two batters later would be followed by a single from Loew. Maiocco would again get out of the frame without surrendering a run as Clauss hit a grounder back to Maiocco for the third out.

Flagler added to its lead with a single run against Kelley in the home portion of the fourth. Saints third baseman Jabe Molinaro highlighted a three-run sixth inning with a two-run home run to increase the lead to 6-0.

Francis Marion found its way onto the scoreboard in the top of the eighth against Saints relief pitcher Luke Cooksey. Clauss accounted for the run, lacing a two-out single up the middle and into center field to cut the gap to 7-1.

First baseman James Jean hit his team-leading 12th home run of the season for the Saints with one out in the bottom of the eighth. The three-run long-ball upped the Flagler lead to 10-1 and rounded out the scoring. Jean finished the game 3-for-5, while Molinaro finished 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and four RBIs to pace the Saints. Lead-off hitter Dylan Jones finished 3-for-5 with one RBI. Maiocco went six strong innings for Flagler, scattering two hits and striking out seven batters.