FLORENCE, SC – Two-run singles by sophomore designated hitter Austin Moore and junior third baseman Mickey Skole backed solid relief pitching by senior right-hander Reece Kleinhelter as Francis Marion University defeated USC Aiken 6-2, Saturday afternoon (March 27) in Peach Belt Conference baseball action.
 
After dropping a pair of tough decisions in Friday's doubleheader, Francis Marion led from start-to-finish on Saturday and improves to 11-9 overall and evens its PBC mark at 9-9. USCA falls to 10-11, both overall and in the Peach Bellt.
 
FMU will play a non-conference game at Barton College on Tuesday at 2 p.m., before returning home to entertain Flagler College for a three-game series next weekend.
 
Francis Marion scored three times in the bottom of the first, the eighth time in the last nine conference games that the Patriots have scored in their initial at bat.  For the season, FMU has outscored its opponents 31-15 in the first frame.
 
Moore, a South Florence product, stroked a two-run single back up the middle to put FMU on top 2-0.  Junior second baseman Tanner Wakefield followed with a run-scoring single through the left side.  Moore collected two hits and a walk during the game, while Wakefield finished 2-for-3 and extended his streak of safely reaching base to 14 contests.  He ranks among the top-10 in the PBC for on-base percentage, now at .500.
 
FMU senior Todd Mattox, making his first start of 2021 at shortstop, also had two hits and scored a run.  He has safely reached base in all 20 games this year and in 28 straight dating back to last season.
 
The Pacers trimmed the margin to 3-1 with a solo homer by right fielder Jackson Hannon in the fourth.  FMU senior righty Bailey Wendel started and went the first four innings, with Kleinhelter (1-1) pitching the final five frames.  Both pitchers had identical lines with four hits and one run allowed.  Kleinhelter fanned seven and did not issue a walk.
 
The Patriots added three insurance runs in the sixth.  One run scored on a fielding error and the others on a two-out, two-run single up the middle by Skole.
 
Hannon's sacrifice fly in the eighth accounted for the other Pacer tally. USCA starter Blake Seigler (0-2) was the losing pitcher.


 
Francis Marion Univ. 6, USC Aiken 2 (Mar 27, 2021 at Florence, SC)
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USC Aiken..................000 100 010  -  2  8  1      (10-11, 10-11 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ.  300 003 00X  -  6  8  1      (11-9, 9-9 PBC)
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Pitchers: USC Aiken - Blake Seigler; Austin Sandifer (6); Evan Condon (7) and Marcus Masetellone.
Francis Marion Univ. - Bailey Wendel; Reece Kleinhelter (5) and Trystan Freeman.
Win-Reece Kleinhelter (1-1)  Loss-Blake Seigler (0-2)  T-2:31  A-128
HR USCA - Jackson Hannon (3).
Weather: Sunny, 81, Winds WSW 5 mph