FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University senior second baseman Grayson Cottingham hit a solo home, but the University of North Georgia plated four unearned runs to help claim a 6-2 win, Sunday afternoon (Feb. 23) in Peach Belt Conference baseball play.

Francis Marion (5-7, 1-4) will play a non-conference game at Wingate University on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before hosting Young Harris College for a three-game PBC series beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. on what is Faculty Appreciation Night.

Cottingham finished the weekend series with three extra-base hits.  Senior catcher Leniel Gonzalez drove in the other Patriot run with a sacrifice fly.

FMU junior righty Daniel Twitty (1-1) limited UNG to only five hits over 6.1 innings, but four of the five runs scored against him were unearned due to three Patriot errors.

Senior Christian Umphlett made his 62nd career relief appearance, bettering his school record, and tossed the final 2.2 innings.

North Georgia right-hander Parker Morrison (2-0) earned the victory as he allowing just two runs on three hits in seven innings with six strikeouts.

Left fielder Brady Eeles went 2-for-5 with three runs batted in to lead the Nighthawks (10-2, 7-2).

Gonzalez's sac fly trimmed the UNG margin to 4-1 in the fourth and Cottingham's long ball brought FMU to within 4-2 in the fifth.  The Patriots got runners into scoring position later in the fifth and in the sixth frame, but could not push across another run.

Post-game comments from FMU head coach Art Inabinet

Univ. of North Georgia 6, Francis Marion Univ. 2 (Feb 23, 2020 at Florence, SC)
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U. of North Georgia. 003 100 101  -  6  9  1      (10-2, 7-2 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 110 000  -  2  5  4      (5-7, 1-4 PBC)
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Pitchers: U. of North Georgia - Parker Morrison; Cody Collett(8); Maddex Richardson(9) and Bill Leroy. Francis Marion Univ. - Daniel Twitty; Christian Umphlett(7) and Leniel Gonzalez.
Win-Parker Morrison (2-0)  Loss-Daniel Twitty (1-1)  T-2:38  A-567
HR FMU - Grayson Cottingham (2).
Weather: Mostly sunny,58,Winds N@6 mph