FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore left fielder Tanner Wakefield drove in a pair of runs with a double and sacrifice fly, while relievers Austin Moody and Chad Wallen combined for seven scoreless innings as Francis Marion University claimed a 9-2 non-conference win over Chowan University, Tuesday evening in baseball action.

Francis Marion improves to 11-9 with its fourth straight win.  The two teams will meet again on Wednesday at 2 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

Moody (1-0) earned the win with three innings of work. He allowed only one base runner (a single) and struck out three.  Wallen picked up his first save of 2020 as he faced the minimum of 12 batters over his four frames.  He fanned a pair.

Senior first baseman Leniel Gonzalez, senior shortstop Grayson Cottingham, sophomore designated hitter Brett Kemp, and Wakefield all finished with two hits, while Cottingham and Kemp joined Wakefield with two RBIs.

Chowan (6-15) took a 2-0 lead off Patriot starter Bailey Wendel with a pair of runs in the top of the second, although only one of the tallies was earned.

FMU cut the deficit in half when Cottingham plated Gonzalez with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second.  Gonzalez scored the tying run in the fourth on a balk by Hawks' freshman starter Timothy Blackman (0-1).

A one-out RBI-double down the right field line by Wakefield chased home catcher Daulton Dabbs with the go-ahead run in the fifth.

The Patriots plated five runs in the sixth inning highlighted by a two-run single by Kemp. A run-scoring single to right centerfield by Cottingham in the eighth accounted for the final run.

FMU junior third baseman Todd Mattox extended his hitting streak to seven games with a fourth-inning single.  Kemp also extended his streak of safely reaching base to 12 consecutive contests.

Post-game comments from FMU head coach Art Inabinet

Francis Marion Univ. 9, Chowan University 2 (Mar 10, 2020 at Florence, SC)
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Chowan University... 020 000 000  -  2  4  2      (6-15)
Francis Marion Univ. 010 115 01X  -  9 10  1      (11-9)
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Pitchers: Chowan University - Timothy Blackman; Caleb Peterson(6); Walker Jones(6);
Wyatt Beakler(7); Trenton Lee(8) and Brendon Grant. Francis Marion Univ. - Bailey Wendel;
Austin Moody(3); Chad Wallen(6) and Daulton Dabbs.
Win-Austin Moody (1-0)  Save-Chad Wallen (1)  Loss-Timothy Blackman (0-1)  T-2:42  A-541
Weather: Mostly Cloudy,73,Winds SW@13mph