FLORENCE, SC -- Junior right-hander Austin Moore pitched six shutout innings in his first career start as Francis Marion University blanked second-ranked Wingate University 8-0 in a weather-shortened six-inning contest, Wednesday night (April 6) in non-conference baseball action.
 
Francis Marion has won four straight and ups its record to 21-12.  The Patriots will host the University of Mount Olive for a key Conference Carolinas series this weekend.  Both squads are tied for fourth in the conference standings.  The series will consist of a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
On Wednesday under threatening skies, Moore (1-1) allowed only six hits with no walks and six strikeouts.  The South Florence High School product threw 81 pitches in his longest career outing.  Prior to the 2022 season, Moore had been used as a designated hitter and pinch hitter, while appearing in 37 career games. He has not allowed a run over his last 10.2 innings of work on the mound.
 
Graduate student second baseman Tanner Wakefield continued his hot hitting as he went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and two driven in.  He extended his hitting streak to 17 games during which he is batting .528 with 13 multi-hit games.
 
Junior shortstop Naphis Llanos also collected three hits and extended his hitting streak to nine games.  Graduate student first baseman Darius Nobles and graduate student left fielder Lex Tuten each rapped out two hits with one and three RBIs respectively.
 
FMU jumped on Wingate (31-4) starter Mac Callari (3-1) in the first inning, scoring four times on four hits.  Llanos beat out a one-out bunt up the first base line and senior third baseman Todd Mattox was hit by a pitch to put two runners on.  That extended Mattox's streak of safely reaching base to 76 games dating back to the 2020 season.  He is only 12 shy of the NCAA Division II record.
 
Following a strikeout, Nobles delivered a two-out RBI-single through the left side, Wakefield doubled home a run, and Tuten laced a two-run single to left.
 
The Patriots added a fifth two-out run in the third inning when Nobles doubled and came home on a single to center field by Wakefield.
 
FMU added a trio of runs in the sixth frame with Tuten singling home one run and senior right fielder Will Hardee driving in the final two tallies with a single up the middle.  Hardee extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
 
A near-by lightning strike as the teams prepared for the top of the seventh sent the game into a delay.  After an hour, with lightning and rain still present, the game was called and made final.
 
Wingate, the defending NCAA Division II national champion, had its 11-game winning streak snapped.  The Bulldogs became the highest-ranked team FMU has ever defeated at Sparrow Stadium, which opened in 2012.
 
The last time Francis Marion defeated an opponent ranked as high as No.2 was a 9-3 victory over second-ranked Tusculum University in the 2012 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament.

 
 
Francis Marion Univ. 8, #2 Wingate University 0 (Apr 06, 2022 at Florence, SC)
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Wingate University.. 000 000  -  0  6  1      (31-4)
Francis Marion Univ. 401 003  -  8 12  0      (21-12)
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Pitchers: Wingate University - Mac Callari; Mitch Farris(5) and Logan McNeely.
Francis Marion Univ. - Austin Moore and Isaac Schuck.
Win-Austin Moore(1-1)  Loss-Mac Callari(3-1)  T-1:44  A-98
Weather: 76,Cloudy,Wind NE @ 9 mph
 
GAME NOTES
» Moore tossed a six-hit shutout for the Patriots.
» Francis Marion got three-hit games from both junior Naphis Llanos and Wakefield.
» Moore struck out six Bulldogs hitters.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the first, when it pushed four runs across.
» Francis Marion grabbed a 4-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Moore put together six innings of scoreless ball for the Patriots.
» Four Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Patriots out-hit the Bulldogs at a 12-6 clip.
» Francis Marion went 7-for-9 (.778) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Wingate to just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 25 Wingate hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out six.
» Wakefield led the Patriots at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
» Wingate was led offensively by sophomore Brett Adams, who went 2-for-3 with a double.
» Senior Mac Callari led the Bulldogs pitching staff, throwing 4.1 innings of five-run ball.