MURFREESBORO, NC -- Senior third baseman Todd Mattox and junior shortstop Naphis Llanos each racked up five hits to help propel Francis Marion University over Chowan University 27-1 on Friday (April 15) in Conference Carolinas baseball action.  

The 27 runs scored by the Patriots equals the third-most in a game in FMU history, equaling the total in a 27-9 win over Augusta State University on April 19, 2008. The 26-run margin of victory equals the school record, previous set three times, most recently in a 26-0 blanking of Newberry College on April 7, 1993.  

The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon.  

Sophomore right-hander Halton Hardy (5-1) started on the mound and picked up the win for Francis Marion (25-13, 13-9). The righty went six innings, giving up one run on five hits, allowing one walk, and striking out seven. Senior Bailey Wendel earned his first save, throwing three shutout innings while allowing two hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. 

The five hits by Mattox and Llanos equals the second-highest single-game total in team history. The five runs by Llanos tie the team's single-game record, most recently set by Leniel Gonzalez against USC Aiken on Feb. 24, 2019. 

In addition to Llanos' five hits and runs, he registered a double and two runs batted in to lead the Patriots. Mattox added two doubles, a home run, and five RBIs. Graduate student second baseman Tanner Wakefield contributed two hits in six trips to the plate while adding a double, a triple, a walk, and four RBIs.

The Patriots scored in eight of the nine innings, and the team's 26 hits were three shy of the team record. 

Senior right fielder Will Hardee and Llanos both extended their hitting streaks to 16 and 14 games respectively.

Graduate student first baseman Darius Nobles had three hits and four RBIs, while junior catcher Isaac Schuck had three hits, scored four times, and drove in one run.  Junior catcher Josh Cowan came off the Patriot bench and singled, homered, and drove in four runs.

Chowan starter Nicky Wohleking (1-5) was the losing pitcher.

Francis Marion 27, Chowan 1 (Apr 15, 2022 at Murfreesboro, N.C.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Francis Marion...... 131 493 402  - 27 26  0      (25-13, 13-9 CC)

Chowan................. 001 000 000  -  1  7  6      (8-25, 3-19 CC)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitchers: Francis Marion - Halton Hardy; Bailey Wendel(7) and . Chowan - Nicky Wohleking;

Alex Brown(4); Collin Riddick(5); K. Tomczak(5); TyShawn Sellers(7); Jackson Dunlap(8);

Ryan Bellamy(9) and .

Win-Halton Hardy(5-1)  Save-Bailey Wendel(1)  Loss-Nicky Wohleking(1-5)  T-3:13  A-52

HR FMU - Todd Mattox (1); Josh Cowan (1).

Weather: Sunny, 73*

 
GAME NOTES
» Francis Marion got at least four hits from both Mattox and Llanos.
» Hardy struck out seven Hawks hitters and Wendel fanned five for the Patriots.
» The Patriots had three players put together games with multiple extra-base hits.
» Four different Francis Marion hitters drove in at least four runs.
» The Francis Marion pitching staff combined to strike out 12 Chowan hitters.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed nine runs across.
» Francis Marion grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Hardy put together six innings of one-run ball for the Patriots.
» Nine Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Patriots had a total of 26 hits.
» The Patriots out-hit the Hawks at a 26-7 clip.
» Francis Marion went 17-for-31 (.548) with runners in scoring position.
» The Patriots got two hits in five at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Chowan to just 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 33 Chowan hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and six fly balls while striking out 12.
» The Patriots drew 11 walks from Chowan pitching.
» Mattox led the Patriots at the plate, going 5-for-7 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI.
» Chowan was led offensively by sophomore Ethan Whelan, who went 2-for-3.
» Freshman Jackson Dunlap led the Hawks pitching staff, throwing one shutout inning.