FLORENCE, SC – The trio of Bill Hanna, Will Hardee, and Todd Mattox combined for 12 hits, with Mattox homering and driving in four runs, to power Francis Marion University to a 9-6 victory over Columbus State University on Saturday (April 17) and a split of their Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader. The Cougars, ranked ninth in the Division II Southeast Region, won the opener 16-5 in seven innings.
 
Francis Marion (15-15, 13-15) and Columbus State (20-10, 15-10) will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Attendance is limited to 250 fans consisting of Patriot season ticket holders, FMU students, and family members of the players.  No walk-up game-day tickets sales will be available.  Masks are required and social distancing will be observed.
 
Hanna, Hardee, and Mattox all finished the second game 4-for-4 at the plate.  All three also scored two runs apiece.  With two hits in game one of the doubleheader as well, Mattox extended his streak of safely reaching base to 38 consecutive games (dating back to last season).
 
Senior left-hander Weston Rogers (4-4) survived a shaky first inning to earn the win.  He scattered 11 hits and allowed four runs in six innings, while striking out four and walking no one.  Senior righty Reece Kleinhelter continued his fine pitching as of late, throwing three frames to earn his second save of 2021.
 
After CSU scored twice in the top of the first, Mattox and sophomore first baseman (and Wilson High School product) Harrison Bigham each delivered two-out run-scoring singles in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score at 2-2.
 
The Patriots took the lead for good with a trio of runs in the third.  Mattox drove in Hardee with an RBI-double just inside the third-base bag.  Bigham followed with a grounder to short that scored senior designated hitter Darius Nobles, and sophomore shortstop Jack Hegan completed the scoring with an RBI-single through the left side.
 
After Columbus State got one run back in the top of the fourth, FMU manufactured a run in the bottom of the inning.  Hanna singled with one out, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior second baseman Tanner Wakefield, stole third base, and scored when the throw to third was wild.
 
Mattox drilled a long two-run homer over the left-center field wall in the fifth, his fifth long ball of the season, and Wakefield hit a sacrifice fly to score junior catcher Daulton Dabbs in the sixth to build a 9-3 margin.
 
Bigham also contributed a highlight reel catch of a foul pop when he reached over the railing to snag the third out in the fifth that stranded three CSU base runners.
 
The Cougars scored once in the seventh and twice in the eighth to pull within 9-6, but that was as close as they would get.
 
Senior righty Tyler Cadenhead (2-3) was the losing pitcher.
 
In Saturday's opener, FMU took a 1-0 lead in the first as Hanna singled, stole second, and later scored on a single-up-the-middle by Nobles.
 
That lead was short-lived as the Cougars scored the next eight runs over four innings to open an 8-1 advantage.  
 
Francis Marion junior catcher Trystan Freeman drilled a grand slam homer with two outs in the sixth to draw FMU to within 8-5.  However, Columbus State scored eight times on five hits in its next at bat to blow the game open.
 
Wakefield, Nobles, Mattox, and Freeman all had two hits in game No.1.  Patriot freshman starter Halton Hardy (2-2) took the loss, while CSU southpaw Jalen Latta (3-3) earned the win with six innings of work.
 
CSU first baseman Steven Minter finished the doubleheader with seven hits, five runs scored, and four driven in.


 
Columbus State 16, Francis Marion 5 (Apr 17, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Columbus State Univ. 023 210 8 - 16 15  0      (20-9, 15-9 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 100 004 0 -  5 10  3      (14-15, 12-15 PBC)
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Pitchers: Columbus State Univ. - Jalen Latta; Noah Windhorst(7) and Robert Brooks.
Francis Marion Univ. - Halton Hardy; Tyler Davis(3); Ethan Meece(4); Brock Rodgers(6);
Austin Moody(6); Christian Umphlett(7); Joshua Collins(7) and Trystan Freeman.
Win-Jalen Latta(3-3)  Loss-Halton Hardy(2-2)  T-2:43  A-138
HR CSU - Robert Brooks (15).
HR FMU - Trystan Freeman (2).
Weather: Partly cloudy,65,Winds ESE@8
Moody faced 1 batter in the 7th.
Umphlett faced 4 batters in the 7th.
 
Francis Marion 9, Columbus State 6 (Apr 17, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Columbus State Univ. 200 100 120  -  6 14  1      (20-10, 15-10 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ.  203 121 00X  -  9 16  2      (15-15, 13-15 PBC)
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Pitchers: Columbus State Univ. - Tyler Cadenhead; Devin Dudal(3); Colton Joyner(7) and
Robert Brooks. Francis Marion Univ. - Weston Rogers; Reece Kleinhelter(7) and Daulton Dabbs.
Win-Weston Rogers(4-4)  Save-Reece Kleinhelter(2)  Loss-Tyler Cadenhead(2-3)  T-2:41  A-0
HR FMU - Todd Mattox (5).
Weather: 73,mostly sunny,winds SW@8mph
Rogers faced 2 batters in the 7th.