FLORENCE, SC -- All nine starters for Francis Marion University reached base safely in game one of Friday's (April 29) doubleheader helping beat King University 14-1, but the Tornado would take game two 8-7 as the Patriots left the bases loaded in the last inning.
 
Francis Marion (29-17, 16-13) will finish the series with King (22-20, 15-13) in a single game Saturday (April 30) at 1:30 p.m. This series will conclude regular-season conference play for both teams tomorrow.  FMU will recognize 10 seniors prior to first pitch.
 
In Friday's opener, Florence-native Robbie Jordan (8-3) got the win for Francis Marion. The freshman right-hander went seven shutout innings, giving up four hits, one walk, and striking out four. 
 
The Patriots were led by graduate student left fielder Tanner Wakefield going 2-for-3 with three runners batted in.? Graduate student and designated hitter Darius Nobles went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs. Senior first baseman Leniel Gonzalez also chipped in for Francis Marion, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI. 
 
FMU's offense started clicking in the first with four runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Wakefield. The Patriots added three runs in the second inning. An RBI sacrifice fly from Wakefield brought the score to 7-0 in favor of the Patriots. Francis Marion kept King without a run before building their lead to 9-0 in the fourth inning when Nobles blasted a two-run homer right under the Cormell Field scoreboard. 
 
Francis Marion scored five runs in the eighth, highlighted by a one-run single off the bat of senior center fielder Bill Hanna – his second hit of the inning – bringing the score to 14-0. The Tornado put one run on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning off an RBI fielder's choice from Conner Hyatt. 
 
In game two, sophomore right-hander Halton Hardy (5-3) was tagged with the loss. Senior righty Reece Kleinhelter came out of the bullpen and threw 3.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. 
 
Senior right fielder Will Hardee had two hits in game one and three hits in game two extending his hitting streak to 24 games. In addition to his three hits in game two, Hardee had two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs to lead the Patriots. Senior third baseman Todd Mattox added an RBI to his three-hit performance as well.
 
Nobles also helped out for Francis Marion, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a home run and two RBIs. Junior shortstop Naphis Llanos extended his hitting streak to 17 games as well with two hits in each game.  
 
The Patriots took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Hardee drove in two runs for Francis Marion with a single, which scored Wakefield and senior left fielder Lex Tuten. The Tornados then rallied to score three runs and take a 3-2 lead. Nobles hit a two-run homer in the third to regain the lead at 4-3 for the Patriots.
 
Francis Marion's lead disappeared in the next half inning a King scored four times. The Patriots cut the deficit to 7-5 in the bottom of the fourth after a double by Hardee and a single through the left side from Mattox.  
 
The Tornado expanded their lead to 8-5 before the Patriot offense got back in gear, cutting into that lead in the fifth inning. The Patriots pushed across a run on junior catcher Isaac Schuck's two-out RBI double, tightening the margin to 8-6.
 
The Patriots got within 8-7 in the sixth inning when Hardee came across to score on a wild pitch.  FMU loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh and final inning, by King's Nic Blankenship got the final out on a pop-up to register his seventh save.  
 
Jakob Brown (4-5) picked up the win for King.
 
Francis Marion, which came into the twinbill leading NCAA Division II in total hits, registered 18 hits in game one and 13 hits in the nightcap.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. 14, King University (TN) 1 (Apr 29, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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King University (TN) 000 000 001  -  1  6  0      (21-20, 14-13 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 430 200 05X  - 14 18  2      (29-16, 16-12 CC)
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Pitchers: King University (TN) - Ray Berry; Trevor Beards(2); Michael Cordova(7) and
Deric Graham; Ethan Hawkins. Francis Marion Univ. - Robbie Jordan; Bailey Wendel(8) and
Lex Tuten; Daulton Dabbs.
Win-Robbie Jordan(8-3)  Loss-Ray Berry(5-4)  T-2:59  A-108
HR FMU - Darius Nobles (13).
Weather: Partly Cloudy 78,Winds NE@7mph
Berry faced 2 batters in the 2nd.
 
GAME 1 NOTES
» Gonzalez picked up three hits in the game for Francis Marion.
» Every Francis Marion starter reached base safely in the win.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed five runs across.
» Francis Marion took a 4-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Jordan put together seven innings of scoreless ball for the Patriots.
» Six Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Patriots had a total of 18 hits.
» The Patriots out-hit the Tornados at an 18-6 clip.
» Francis Marion went 9-for-15 (.600) with runners in scoring position.
» The Patriots got three hits in six at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited King (TN) to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 37 King (TN) hitters in the game, allowing 14 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out six.
» The Patriots drew five walks from King (TN) pitching.
» Nobles led the Patriots at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
» King (TN) was led offensively by senior Robbie Scott, who went 2-for-2.
» Senior Trevor Beards led the Tornados pitching staff, throwing five innings of three-run ball.
 
King University (TN) 8, Francis Marion Univ. 7 (Apr 29, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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King University (TN) 003 410 0 -  8 10  1      (22-20, 15-13 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 022 111 0 -  7 13  2      (29-17, 16-13 CC)
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Pitchers: King University (TN) - Jakob Brown; Bodhi Baker(6); Nic Blankenship(6) and
Levi Medford. Francis Marion Univ. - Halton Hardy; Ben Thornton(4); Reece Kleinhelter(4) and
Isaac Schuck.
Win-Jakob Brown(4-5)  Save-Nic Blankenship(7)  Loss-Halton Hardy(5-3)  T-2:36  A-0
HR KING - Preston Steele (1).
HR FMU - Darius Nobles (14).
Weather: Mostly clear,78,Winds N@6mph
Hardy faced 3 batters in the 4th.
 
GAME 2 NOTES
» The Patriots got three-hit games from both Hardee and Mattox.
» Francis Marion's power output was led by Hardee, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed two runs across.
» Four Francis Marion hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion left 11 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Patriots out-hit the Tornados at a 13-10 clip.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 34 King (TN) hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out six.
» The Patriots drew four walks from King (TN) pitching.
» Hardee led the Patriots at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
» King (TN) was led offensively by freshman Preston Steele, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
» Senior Nic Blankenship led the Tornados pitching staff, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings.