WILSON, NC – Senior designated hitter Darius Nobles hit four home runs and drove in seven runs to help power Francis Marion University to a doubleheader split with Barton College, Sunday (March 6) in Conference Carolinas baseball action.  Nobles homered twice and drove in four as FMU won the opener 8-5. The Bulldogs won the second game 13-12 with a run in the bottom of the ninth after senior right fielder Will Hardee had tied the game with a two-out grand slam homer in the top of the ninth.
 
FMU (10-8, 3-6) will return to Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium to host local-rival Coker University for a three-game series Friday through Sunday (March 11-13).
 
Nobles went 2-for-4 in the opener, while senior first baseman Leniel Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Senior third baseman Todd Mattox extended his streak of safely reaching base to 61 games going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in game one, and 3-for-6 in the second game.
 
FMU freshman Robbie Jordan (2-1) started on the mound and picked up the win. The right-hander went 4.2 innings (in the seven-inning contest), giving up five runs, three earned, on eight hits, while allowing two walks and striking out four. Senior righty Nick Palumbo threw two scoreless innings while allowing one hit, with no walks and one strikeout to earn his four save.
 
The Patriots got on the board in the first frame with one run on a Mattox sacrifice fly. FMU exploded for four runs in the third, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Nobles.
After Barton narrowed Francis Marion's lead to 5-1, Nobles hit a solo shot in the fifth to make the margin 6-1.
 
The Bulldogs fought back, closing the gap to 6-5, before Francis Marion added some insurance runs in the sixth on Gonzalez's two-run homer.
 
In the second contest, the Patriots put together a ferocious comeback, scoring four runs in the ninth inning, but falling when Barton then scored on a Colby Warren walk-off RBI-single to grab the 13-12 win.
 
Junior right-hander Ben Thornton (0-1) came out of the bullpen for FMU and took the loss.
 
In the batter's box, the Patriots were led by Hardee, who went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, a walk, and five RBIs. Nobles went 2-for-4 with another pair of home runs, a walk, and three RBIs. Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with his second home run of the day.
 
The Patriots were trailing 4-0 in the third inning when they first put runs on the board thanks to Hardee's RBI-double with two outs. The Bulldogs expanded their lead to 5-1 before the Patriots offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the fourth and creeping to within 5-4.
 
FMU kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard before rallying to grab a 7-5 lead in the fifth. The Patriots scored three times, with home runs from both Gonzalez and Nobles.  Francis Marion surrendered the lead they built in the fifth, but got back on the scoreboard in the seventh trailing 9-7. The Patriots scored on Nobles' leadoff dinger against freshman pitcher Michael Yuille, narrowing the Barton lead to 9-8.
 
Barton expanded their lead to 12-8 before Hardee's two-out heroics in the ninth knotted the score at 12-12.
 
 
Francis Marion 8, Barton 5 (Mar 06, 2022 at Wilson, N.C.) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 104 012 0 -  8 13  2      (10-7, 3-5 CC)
Barton................... 001 040 0 -  5  9  2      (11-6, 6-2 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Robbie Jordan; Matt Dooley(5); Nick Palumbo(6) and Lex Tuten.
Barton - Jared Davis; Blake Forney(7) and Chase Waddell.
Win-Robbie Jordan(2-1)  Save-Nick Palumbo(4)  Loss-Jared Davis(3-2)  T-2:10  A-175
HR FMU - Leniel Gonzalez (3); Darius Nobles 2 (6).
HR BARTON - Carelle Gonzalez (3); Luke Chung (1).
Weather: 70, partly cloudy, windy
 
GAME 1 NOTES
» The Patriots got two home runs off the bat of Darius Nobles.
» Hardee had three hits in the game for Francis Marion.
» The Patriots power output was led by Darius Nobles, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Darius Nobles drove in four runs for Francis Marion.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed four runs across.
» Francis Marion took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Four Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion hitters hit three homers in the ballgame.
» The Patriots out-hit the Bulldogs at a 13-9 clip.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 34 Barton hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out five.
» Darius Nobles led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs.
» Barton was led offensively by sophomore Carelle Gonzalez, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» Sophomore Blake Forney led the Bulldogs pitching staff, throwing one scoreless inning.
 
Barton 13, Francis Marion 12 (Mar 06, 2022 at Wilson, N.C.) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 001 330 104  - 12 19  2      (10-8, 3-6 CC)
Barton................... 041 040 301  - 13 14  0      (12-6, 7-2 CC)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Jet Smith; Matt Dooley(3); Daniel Twitty(5); Ben Thornton(7) and
Isaac Schuck. Barton - Brett Widerman; Tanner Halvorson(5); Michael Yuille(5); Blake Forney(9) and James Holladay.
Win-Blake Forney(1-0)  Loss-Ben Thornton(0-1)  T-3:05  A-175
HR FMU - Will Hardee (1); Leniel Gonzalez (4); Darius Nobles 2 (8).
HR BARTON - Jared Beebe (2); Colby Warren (3); Raymond Paniagua (1).
Weather: 75, slight breeze, nice
B. Widerman faced 2 batters in the 5th.
 
GAME 2 NOTES
» Francis Marion got a two-homer day from Nobles.
» Gonzalez put together a four-hit day for the Patriots.
» Francis Marion got multiple extra-base hits from both Nobles and Hardee.
» Hardee drove in five runs for the Patriots.
» Every Patriots starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the ninth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Seven Francis Marion hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» The Patriots took Barton pitchers deep four times on Sunday.
» Francis Marion batters had a total of 19 hits in the game.
» Francis Marion left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Patriots out-hit the Bulldogs at a 19-14 clip.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 41 Barton hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Patriots drew five walks from Barton pitching.
» Hardee led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBIs.
» Barton was led offensively by sophomore Raymond Paniagua, who went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run and five RBIs.