GREENWOOD, SC -- Francis Marion University rallied from an early deficit to take a one-run lead in the fifth, but 10 runners left on base proved too much to overcome as the Patriots fell to Lander University 7-4, Tuesday evening (March 15) in non-conference baseball play.

Francis Marion, now 13-9, will entertain Erskine College for a three-game Conference Carolinas series this weekend. The squads will play a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Senior first baseman Leniel Gonzalez and senior center fielder Bill Hanna led FMU with two hits each. Senior third baseman Todd Mattox singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 65 games.

Freshman left-hander Jet Smith (0-2), the fourth of eight Patriot pitchers, took the loss.  Freshman righty Kurt Rogers (1-2) earned the win in relief.

Lander took an early 2-0 advantage with single runs in the first and third innings.  The Patriots trimmed the margin in half on a squeeze bunt by Hanna in the fourth. 

Francis Marion knotted the score at 2-2 when junior shortstop Naphis Llanos led off the fifth with a home run to right field.  Later in the frame, FMU went up 3-2 when graduate student left fielder Lex Tuten also successfully delivered a squeeze bunt.  However, Lander answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, including a three-run homer by Chase Dougherty.

Lander added an insurance run in the sixth to go up 7-3.  Gonzalez got that run back with an RBI-double down the right field line in the seventh. The Patriots then stranded two runners in scoring position in the eighth.

GAME NOTES
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed two runs across.
» Francis Marion left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 36 Lander hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Lander pitching.
» Llanos led the Patriots at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» Lander was led offensively by C. Dougherty, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.
» E. Mauldin led the Bearcats pitching staff, throwing one shutout inning.