FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore designated hitter Brett Kemp lined a two-run double off the caulk deep down the right field line in the bottom of the seventh to provide Francis Marion University with a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over Young Harris College, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 29) in Peach Belt Conference baseball play.

The Patriots (7-8, 3-4) capture the series with two wins and will go for the sweep on Sunday in the series finale at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

Senior right-hander Christian Umphlett (1-1) picked up the win with three scoreless innings of relief.  He allowed only two hits and fanned three.  He entered the game in the seventh with runners on first and second and no outs. He fanned the first two batters he faced and the Patriots escaped further damage when sophomore right fielder Will Hardee threw out a runner trying to score on a two-out single.

Umphlett followed junior righty Bailey Wendel who also threw three scoreless innings of relief.

FMU managed only three hits, but all were extra-base knocks that drove home runs.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, sophomore catcher Trystan Freeman walked with the bases-loaded to plate FMU's first tally.  Senior first baseman Leniel Gonzalez doubled to right center scoring junior center fielder Bill Hanna with the tying tun in the last of the third.

The Mountain Lions (8-5, 2-3) quickly responded with two runs in the top of the fourth knocking Patriot starter Weston Rogers from the game.  FMU rallied with the tying runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Kemp drew a lead-off walk from Young Harris reliever Chase Webb (1-1), advanced to second on a passed ball, and came home on an RBI-triple to right field by freshman left fielder Jon-Mitchell Carter.  Freeman then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate Carter and knot the contest at 4-4.

In the seventh, Hanna drew a lead-off walk, stole second, and took third on a sacrifice bunt.  Young Harris chose to intentionally walk Gonzalez and Webb struck out the next batter for the second out.  However, Kemp laced the first pitch he saw down into the right fielder corner chasing home both base runners.

Right fielder Logan Worley and first baseman Jackson Jones both had two hits on Saturday for Young Harris.  Mountain Lion starter Mat Szabo, who enter the contest 3-0 with a 0.00 earned run average, went five innings and surrendered only one hit and two runs.  He struck out six, but also walked six.

Umphlett was making his career-record 63 relief appearance and it was his 13th career pitching victory.

Post-game comments from FMU head coach Art Inabinet

Francis Marion Univ. 6, Young Harris College 4 (Feb 29, 2020 at Florence, SC)
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Young Harris College 020 200 000  -  4  8  0      (8-5, 2-3 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ.  011 002 20X  -  6  3  2      (7-8, 3-4 PBC)
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Pitchers: Young Harris College - Mat Szabo; Chase Webb(6) and Dahlton Cash.
Francis Marion Univ. - Weston Rogers; Bailey Wendel(4); Christian Umphlett(7) and
Trystan Freeman.
Win-Christian Umphlett (1-1)  Loss-Chase Webb (1-1)  T-2:48  A-617
Weather: Partly Sunny,55,Winds NW@15mph
Rogers faced 3 batters in the 4th.; Wendel faced 2 batters in the 7th.