FLORENCE, SC – Senior designated hitter Leniel Gonzalez homered on the second pitch after play resumed following a rain delay to give Francis Marion University a 6-5 victory over Erskine College, Friday evening (March 18) in Conference Carolinas baseball action.
 
Francis Marion improves to 14-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play, while Erskine falls to 13-12 and 5-8.  The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.
 
Gonzalez, who finished the night 2-for-2, hit a 1-0 pitch from Erskine righty Parker Cassell (1-1) over the right-center field wall to snap a 5-5 deadlock.  The hit came after a 30-minute rain delay.
 
Defensively, the Patriots then threw out two Flying Fleet runners on the base paths in the top of the eighth to help secure the win.  FMU junior catcher Isaac Schuck threw out a pinch runner trying to steal second, and graduate student left fielder Lex Tuten threw out a runner trying to go from first to third on a single to left.
 
Two other Patriots joined Gonzalez with two hits: senior right fielder Will Hardee (2-for-4) and senior second baseman Tanner Wakefield (2-for-4).
 
Senior right-hander Reece Kleinhelter (2-1) was the beneficiary of the home run. He pitched 1.2 shutout innings in relief of starter Halton Hardy.  Senior righty Nick Palumbo tossed two scoreless frames after the delay to earn his fifth save.
 
FMU senior third baseman Todd Mattox doubled in the first inning to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 66 games, dating back to the 2020 season.  That hit was part of a three-run first frame for FMU that included a sacrifice fly by Gonzalez and a two-run single by Wakefield.
 
The Flying Fleet scored the next five runs – two in the fifth and three in the sixth – to assume a 5-3 advantage.  Schuck singled home Tuten in the bottom of the sixth, and junior shortstop Naphis Llanos plated Wakefield with an RBI grounder to knot the score at 5-5.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. 6, Erskine College 5 (Mar 18, 2022 at Florence, SC)
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Erskine College....... 000 023 000  -  5 13  1      (13-12, 5-8 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 300 002 10X  -  6  8  2      (14-9, 4-6 CC)
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Pitchers: Erskine College - Saathoff, Allan; Cassell, Parker(6); Clifton, Ira(8) and
Boyd, Dalton; Piedra, Logan. Francis Marion Univ. - Halton Hardy; Reece Kleinhelter(6);
Nick Palumbo(8) and Isaac Schuck.
Win-Reece Kleinhelter(2-1)  Save-Nick Palumbo(5)  Loss-Cassell, Parker(1-1)  T-3:05  A-110
HR FMU - Leniel Gonzalez (5).
Weather: cloudy, 79, 10 mph winds north
Saathoff, Al faced 2 batters in the 6th.
 
GAME NOTES
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed three runs across.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 42 Erskine hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out four.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Erskine pitching.
» Gonzalez led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.
» Erskine was led offensively by senior Cal Bocchino, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
» Sophomore Ira Clifton led the Flying Fleet pitching staff, throwing one scoreless inning.