AIKEN, SC – USC Aiken pushed across the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and then plated a two-out run in the 10th inning to rally for a 7-6 win over visiting Francis Marion University, Wednesday evening (Feb. 15) in non-conference baseball play.
 
Francis Marion (3-5) will celebrate Homecoming 2023 by opening Conference Carolinas play on Saturday with a doubleheader against Chowan University beginning at 1 p.m. on Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.
 
Senior second baseman Naphis Llanos and senior right fielder Will Hardee led FMU at the plate with three hits apiece, while freshman shortstop Peyton Starkey, making his first collegiate start, went 2-for-5 with a run batted in.
 
Second baseman Justin Byrd paced USCA (5-2) with three hits and three RBIs.  Pacer reliever Dylan Wilhelm (2-0) earned the win with two scoreless and hitless frames.
 
Senior right-hander Jack Hegan (0-1), the fifth of six Patriot hurlers, was tagged with the loss.  Senior righty Austin Moore started and went three frames, allowing three runs on five hits.  Graduate student southpaw Luke Allain had a strong relief outing with four scoreless frames during which he allowed only three hits and struck out four.
 
The Patriots broke a 0-0 deadlock with five runs in the top of the third.  The first two came home on fielder choice grounders by freshman third baseman Charlie Bussey III and freshman catcher Tucker Rabun.  It was a homecoming for Rabun who graduated from South Aiken High School.
 
Junior designated hitter Alex Elliott upped the margin to 3-0 with an RBI-single, and then a wild pitch allowed a fourth run to score before Starkey capped the inning with a run-scoring base hit.
 
USCA answered immediately with three runs in the bottom of the frame and tied the contest at 5-5 with two runs in the fourth.
 
FMU took a 6-5 advantage on a sacrifice fly by Bussey III in the sixth.  The Patriots had loaded the bases with back-to-back-to-back one-out singles by Llanos, Hardee, and junior center fielder Zach Summerville. 
 
The Pacers forced extra innings when Byrd singled home the tying run with two outs in the last of the ninth.  Shortstop James Eckert dropped an RBI-single down the right field line with two down in the 10th frame to end the contest.
 
 
USC Aiken 7, Francis Marion 6 (Feb 15, 2023 at Aiken, S.C.)
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Francis Marion..... 005 001 000 0 -  6 11  3      (3-5)
USC Aiken........... 003 200 001 1 -  7 14  3      (5-2)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Austin Moore; Josh Adams(4); Luke Allain(5); Ben Thornton(9);
Jack Hegan(10); Cory Poulsen(10) and Tucker Rabun. USC Aiken - Garcia; Condon(2); Flink(3);
Smith(3); Espinoza(6); Wilhelm(9) and Mastellone.
Win-Dylan Wilhelm (2-0)  Loss-Jack Hegan (0-1)  T-3:22  A-281
HR USCA - Byrd.
Flink faced 3 batters in the 3rd.