FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore outfielder
Jack Hegan drove in six runs, all with two outs, to help power Francis Marion University to a 14-6 victory over Georgia College on Wednesday (April 7) and to a split of the Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader. The Bobcats won the nightcap 8-5 despite a late FMU rally.
Francis Marion (13-12, 11-12) will travel up Interstate 95 to face 16th-ranked UNC Pembroke for a three-game conference series this weekend. The two long-time rivals will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
In the opener, Francis Marion pounded out 16 hits, including three by Hegan, two of which were a grand slam and a two-run single. Junior second baseman
Tanner Wakefield, junior first baseman
Will Hardee, freshman right fielder
Kolby Crepeau, and junior third baseman
Mickey Skole all rapped out two hits with Wakefield driving in three runs.
Freshman right-hander
Halton Hardy (2-0), the fourth of five FMU hurlers picked up the win, while freshman lefty
Chas DeBruhl earned his first collegiate save with four hitless innings of relief.
Bobcat starter Aiden McAllister (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
FMU trailed 3-0 after three frames. Hegan's two-out grand slam homer over the left centerfield wall righted the ship in the fourth and put the Patriots up 4-3.
However, Georgia College answered with two runs in the top of the fifth to regain the lead at 5-4. Francis Marion responded immediately with five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Wakefield drilled his first career homer (in 74 games), a two-run shot to left, sophomore designated hitter
Austin Moore laced an RBI-single up the middle, and Hegan dropped a two-out, two-run bloop single down the right field line.
The Patriots added two insurance tallies in the sixth and three more in the seventh.
Georgia College scored in the opening inning of game No.2 off Patriot senior starter
Ethan Meece (0-1). FMU knotted the score in the second with a sacrifice fly by Skole.
The Bobcats erupted for fourth runs in the top of third and never trailed again. FMU got to within 5-2 when senior shortstop
Todd Mattox hit a run-scoring single in the last of the third.
Senior outfielder and Lake City native
Bill Hanna drove in the final three FMU runs with a bases-loaded walk in the sixth and a two-run inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 8-5, the Patriots did get the potential tying run to the plate in the final inning, but stranded runners at second and third as the final out was recorded.
Hardee and Moore led FMU with two hits apiece in the nightcap. Wakefield extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his streak of safely reaching base to 19 consecutive contests. Mattox also had a hit in each game to run his streak of safely reaching base to 33 straight games dating back to last season.
Bobcat starter Bryson Smeltzer (1-0) went five innings to gain the win.
FMU graduate student
Christian Umphlett pitched in game two to improve his program career record for pitching appearances to 78.
Francis Marion Univ. 14, Georgia College 6 (Apr 07, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Georgia College..... 021 020 100 - 6 10 1 (13-12, 11-11 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 452 30X - 14 16 5 (13-11, 11-11 PBC)
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Pitchers: Georgia College - McAllister, Aidan; Sturgell, Ashton(5); Mathis, AJ(7) and
Holloway, Austin. Francis Marion Univ. -
Reece Kleinhelter;
Tyler Davis(3);
Blake Sherrill(5);
Halton Hardy(5);
Chas DeBruhl(6) and
Daulton Dabbs.
Win-
Halton Hardy(2-0) Save-
Chas DeBruhl(1) Loss-McAllister, Aidan(0-1) T-2:43 A-108
HR FMU -
Tanner Wakefield (1);
Jack Hegan (2).
Weather: Sunny, 88, Winds SSW 8 mph
Georgia College 8, Francis Marion Univ. 5 (Apr 07, 2021 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Georgia College..... 104 002 001 - 8 11 2 (14-12, 12-12 PBC)
Francis Marion Univ. 011 001 002 - 5 9 2 (13-12, 11-12 PBC)
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Pitchers: Georgia College - Smeltzer, Bryson; Crooms, Brennan(6); Houston, Garrett(9) and
Sly, Sam. Francis Marion Univ. -
Ethan Meece;
Joshua Collins(3);
Cory Poulsen(4);
Brock Rodgers(6);
Christian Umphlett(7);
Chandler Sox(9);
Chad Wallen(9) and
Daulton Dabbs.
Win-Smeltzer, Bryson(1-0) Loss-
Ethan Meece(0-1) T-3:08
HR FMU -
Bill Hanna (1).
Weather: Sunny, 85, Winds SW 8 mph
