FLORENCE, SC – Senior designated hitter Leniel Gonzalez rapped out three hits and junior right-handed relief pitcher Austin Moore produced 4.1 scoreless innings, but Francis Marion University could not overcome a fast Queens University of Charlotte start and fell 12-2 to the Royals, Wednesday night (March 30) in non-conference baseball action.
 
Francis Marion drops to 17-12 and will return to Conference Carolinas play this weekend with a 3-game series at Southern Wesleyan University.  The two squads will play a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Sophomore southpaw Chas DeBruhl (0-1) started and took the loss for FMU.  He was the first of seven Patriot arms to take the mound against the Royals (19-14).
 
Moore toed the rubber with FMU already trailing 8-1, but allowed the Patriots a chance to rally by allowing only three hits and no runs in his outing. The South Florence High School product struck out three batters and did not issue a walk.
 
The first of Gonzalez's three singles was of the run-scoring variety in the first inning.  Senior right fielder Will Hardee and senior center fielder Bill Hanna both collected a pair of hits.
 
FMU senior infielder Todd Mattox singled in the first inning to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 72 games dating back to the 2020 season, and is now only 16 games shy of the NCAA Division II record.  He accounted for the other Patriot run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh that plated junior infielder Naphis Llanos, who had tripled to lead off the frame.
 
Queens scored four times in its first at bat, and after Gonzalez trimmed the margin to 4-1, added a single run in the second and three unearned tallies in the third to go up 8-1.

Patriot second baseman Tanner Wakefield singled in the third inning to extend his team season-best 13-game hitting streak.

 
 
Queens (N.C.) 12, Francis Marion Univ. 2 (Mar 30, 2022 at Florence, SC)
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Queens (N.C.)....... 413 000 004  - 12 19  0      (19-14)
Francis Marion Univ. 100 000 100  -  2 10  2      (17-12)
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Pitchers: Queens (N.C.) - Yamagishi,Kei; Efird,Blake(7); Briones,Jordan(8) and Bailey,Julian.
Francis Marion Univ. - Chas DeBruhl; Jack Hegan(1); Cory Poulsen(3); Austin Moore(3);
Tyler Reynolds(8); Nick Palumbo(9); Bailey Wendel(9) and Isaac Schuck.
Win-Yamagishi,Kei(1-2)  Loss-Chas DeBruhl(0-1)  T-3:06  A-253
Weather: Partly Cloudy,79,Wind NE@17mph
Poulsen faced 4 batters in the 3rd.
 
GAME NOTES
» Gonzalez led the Patriots, amassing three base knocks in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed one run across.
» Francis Marion left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 52 Queens (NC) hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out three.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Queens (NC) pitching.
» Gonzalez led the Patriots at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
» Queens (NC) was led offensively by freshman Dillon Lewis, who went 3-for-6 with a double and three RBIs.
» Senior Jordan Briones led the Royals pitching staff, throwing two scoreless innings.