FLORENCE, SC – Senior third baseman Todd Mattox registered five hits and drove in four runs while extending a near-record-setting streak as Francis Marion University split a Conference Carolinas baseball doubleheader with visiting University of Mount Olive on Saturday afternoon (April 9).   The Patriots won the opener 20-4, but Mount Olive rallied from an early six-run deficit to win the second contest 11-9.
 
Coupled with Friday's night 6-3 victory, FMU wins its fourth straight conference series and moves to 23-13 overall and 12-9 in league play – good for fourth place.
 
The Patriots will play host to Lander University on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.
 
Mattox had two hits and was hit by a pitch in the opening contests, while driving in three runs.  He added three hits and two walks in the second contest, while extending his streak of safely reaching base to 79 games, only nine shy of the NCAA Division II record.
 
Graduate student second baseman Tanner Wakefield had one hit in the opener and two in the nightcap to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, equaling the fifth longest in school history.  During the streak, he has registered 15 multi-hit games.
 
In the first game, UMO (21-15, 11-10) scored a single run in the top of the first, but Francis Marion responded with the tying run in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a run-scoring single through the right side by graduate student Darius Nobles. 
 
FMU blew the game open by scoring five times in the second and seven times in both the fourth and sixth frames.
 
Following the efforts of Mattox, three other Patriots recorded two hits and two RBIs: senior right fielder Will Hardee, Nobles, and graduate student catcher Lex Tuten. Senior Dalton Dabbs hit a pinch-hit grand slam to highlight the sixth-inning outburst.
 
FMU freshman right-hander Robbie Jordan (6-2) remained among the national leaders in victories as he tossed six quality innings.  The Florence native allowed two earned runs on eight hits, while striking out seven.
 
UMO starter Dawson Gause (2-1) was tagged with the loss.
 
In the second contest, Francis Marion built a 7-1 advantage with three runs in the first and four in the second.  The Trojans answered with seven unanswered runs to take an 8-7 advantage in the fifth.
 
Wakefield led off the Patriot fifth inning with a double and would later score on an RBI ground out by Hardee to knot the score at 8-8.
 
A pair of two-out runs off FMU junior righty Jack Hegan (0-1) in the eighth gave the Trojans the lead for good.  FMU got to within 10-9 in the bottom of the frame as senior Leniel Gonzalez singled home junior infielder Naphis Llanos, but Mount Olive added an insurance tally in the ninth to account for the two-run margin.
 
Trojan relief pitcher Caleb Irwin (4-3) collected the win, while Justin Koehler recorded the final five outs to pick up his second save.
 
Llanos, Mattox, and Gonzalez all pounded out three hits in game two, while Wakefield and Gonzalez both drove in a pair of runs.
 
Hardee and Llanos both extended their hitting streaks to 14 and 12 games respectively.
 

 
Francis Marion Univ. 20, Univ. of Mount Olive 4 (Apr 09, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Univ. of Mount Olive 100 002 1 -  4 10  4      (20-15, 10-10 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 150 707 X - 20 12  1      (23-12, 12-8 CC)
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Pitchers: Univ. of Mount Olive – Dawson Gause; Jake Isbell(2); Caleb Bishop(4);
Carson Hinnant(4); Harrison Aiken(4) and Gordon Pihl; Dylan Benton. Francis Marion Univ. -
Robbie Jordan; Bailey Wendel(7) and Lex Tuten; Daulton Dabbs.
Win-Robbie Jordan (6-2)  Loss-Dawson Gause (2-1)  T-2:50  A-427
HR FMU - Daulton Dabbs (1).
Weather: Partly Cloudy,56,Winds E@14mph
Isbell faced 1 batter in the 4th. Hinnant faced 3 batters in the 4th.
 
GAME 1 NOTES
» Jordan struck out seven Trojans hitters.
» Dabbs drove in four runs for Francis Marion.
» Every Francis Marion starter reached base safely in the win.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed seven runs across.
» The Patriots had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Trojans 6-1 in the bottom of the second.
» Four Patriots had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Patriots out-hit the Trojans at a 12-10 clip.
» Francis Marion went 8-for-13 (.615) with runners in scoring position.
» The Patriots got four hits in six at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 35 Mount Olive hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Patriots drew five walks from Mount Olive pitching.
» Dabbs led the Patriots at the plate, going 1-for-1 with a home run and four RBI.
» Mount Olive was led offensively by senior Matt Stokes, who went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
» Senior Jake Isbell led the Trojans pitching staff, throwing 1.2 innings of one-run ball.
 
Univ. of Mount Olive 11, Francis Marion Univ. 9 (Apr 09, 2022 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Univ. of Mount Olive 103 220 021  - 11 16  0      (21-15, 11-10 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 340 010 010  -  9 13  2      (23-13, 12-9 CC)
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Pitchers: Univ. of Mount Olive – Seth Nightingale; Caleb Irwin(2); Justin Koehler(8) and
Dylan Benton. Francis Marion Univ. - Matt Dooley; Cory Poulsen(4); Daniel Twitty(5);
Jack Hegan(7); Nick Palumbo(8) and Isaac Schuck.
Win-Caleb Irwin (4-3)  Save-Justin Koehler (2)  Loss-Jack Hegan (0-1)  T-3:36
HR UMO - Casbarro,Jack (10).
Weather: cloudy, 55, 16 mph winds east
 
GAME 2 NOTES
» The Patriots got three-hit games from three different hitters.
» Every Patriots starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Francis Marion's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed four runs across.
» Four Francis Marion hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Francis Marion left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» Francis Marion went 7-for-15 (.467) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers limited Mount Olive to just 3-for-18 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
» Francis Marion pitchers faced 52 Mount Olive hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Patriots drew four walks from Mount Olive pitching.
» Mattox led the Patriots at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
» Mount Olive was led offensively by junior Jack Casbarro, who went 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBI.
» Sophomore Justin Koehler led the Trojans pitching staff, throwing 1.2 shutout innings.