FLORENCE, SC – Five different Francis Marion University batters drove in a run during an eighth-inning outburst that snapped a 5-5 deadlock and gave the Patriots a 10-5 victory over the University of Bridgeport, Wednesday night (Mar. 1) in non-conference baseball action.
 
Francis Marion evens its record at 8-8 as the Patriots re-enter Conference Carolinas play this weekend.  FMU will play a single game at Erskine College on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
Graduate student right fielder Will Hardee led FMU at the plate with three hits, three runs scored, and an RBI.  Graduate student left fielder Tanner Wakefield, senior second baseman Naphis Llanos, and junior shortstop Blake Falor all had two hits apiece.
 
Sophomore right-hander Josh Adams (1-0), the sixth of seven FMU pitchers, earned the win with two innings or work.
 
With the score knotted at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, the Patriots erupted for five runs.  Two walks and an error loaded the bases with one out, before freshman third baseman Charlie Bussey III drew a base-on-balls to force in the go-ahead run.  After a pitching change, sophomore first baseman Kollin Crepeau also walked to force in a run, and Wakefield and designated hitter Alex Elliott both followed with RBI-singles.  Junior catcher Tucker Rabun accounted for the final run with a sacrifice fly.
 
Bussey III drew three walks to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 14 games.
 
The Purple Knights (2-5) got on the board in the top of the first when right fielder Justin Leigh doubled, went to third on a ground out, and continued home on a two-out Patriot throwing error.
 
FMU rallied for a pair of runs in the fourth.  Llanos dumped a single down the left field line and Hardee laced a shot off the second baseman's glove for a single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Llanos would score on a wild pitch, and Hardee later touched home on an RBI-single through the left side by Wakefield.
 
Bridgeport regained the advantage at 4-2 in the next half-inning, scoring three times without the benefit of a hit.
 
Falor cranked a double over the left fielder with two outs in the sixth to plate Elliott and trim the deficit to 4-3.
 
The Patriots took the lead at 5-4 with two tallies in the seventh.  Llanos led off with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored the tying run on a double to shallow left by Hardee.  A sacrifice bunt moved the Evergreen, S.C., native to third where he scored on a wild pitch.
 
Bridgeport immediately tied the game at 5-5 on a ringing solo homer to left by designated hitter Vin Mallon to lead off the eighth.
 
Earlier, Adams escaped a bases-loaded no out jam in the seventh when the Patriots turned a Bridgeport bunt attempt into a double play, and then induced a fly out.  FMU sophomore righty Tyler Reynolds made his first pitching appearance for the Patriots after playing in the infield prior to Wednesday.  He surrendered one unearned run on two hits with a strikeout in four innings of work.
 
Freshman right-hander Tyler John (0-1) took the loss for the Purple Knights.

 
Francis Marion Univ. 10, Univ. of Bridgeport 5 (Mar 01, 2023 at Florence, SC)
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Univ. of Bridgeport…100 030 010  -  5  5  1      (2-5)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 201 25X  - 10 10  4      (8-8)
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Pitchers: Univ. of Bridgeport - Nyarady, Justin; Wild, Matt(7); John, Tyler(7); Dolan, Tim(8)
and Pascale, Anthony. Francis Marion Univ. - Tyler Reynolds; Luke Allain(5); Cory Poulsen(5);
Jack Hegan(5); Matt Dooley(7); Josh Adams(7); Ben Thornton(9) and Tucker Rabun.
Win-Josh Adams (1-0)  Loss-Tyler John (0-1)  T-2:57  A-134
HR BPTBB - Mallon, Vin (1).
Weather: 77,Overcast,Winds NE @ 3 mph
Dooley faced 3 batters in the 7th.