AUGUSTA, GA – Francis Marion University came up short with the tying run in scoring position as they dropped a narrow 4-3 thriller to Augusta University, Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 21) in non-conference baseball action.
 
Francis Marion (13-17) will return to Conference Carolinas play with a road trip on Friday (Mar. 24), when the Patriots visit Belmont Abbey College for a single game at 5 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday (Mar. 25) starting at 1 p.m.
 
Graduate student southpaw Luke Allain started on the rubber for FMU, pitching one inning, allowing one earned run and one hit while fanning two batters. Senior reliever Cory Poulsen threw 1.2 innings allowing no runs or hits and walked one. Senior righty Austin Moore tossed 2.1 innings, allowing no runs, giving up one hit, and striking out two.
 
Sophomore hurler Tyler Reynolds (1-2) was tagged with the close loss, throwing 1.2 innings and allowing two earned runs, four hits, and walking one.
 
Junior center fielder Zack Summerville led the Patriots at the plate with two hits, while four other Patriots secured a hit. Graduate student left fielder Tanner Wakefield, senior right fielder Will Hardee, and junior shortstop Blake Falor recorded one RBI apiece. Hardee's RBI came off a solo home run, his second of the season.
 
Both squads scratched a run in the second inning starting with the Patriots. After sophomore first baseman Kollin Crepeau singled to center field and senior catcher Isaac Schuck was walked, FMU had two runners on with two outs. Falor stepped in and cracked himself a double to score Crepeau, but Schuck would be tagged out at the plate trying to score.
 
The Jaguars led with two runners on base after two walks and scored one off an RBI-groundout by Kyle Lodise to tie the score at 1-1. Hardee would power his solo homer in the third to reclaim the lead at 2-1.
 
Augusta's Parker Ingram and Kyle LaRoche both recorded home runs in the seventh to punch the Jaguars in front 3-2. A Jordan Wilkie RBI-double extended the Jaguar lead to 4-2 in the eighth giving FMU one more chance at the dish.
 
A Summerville single and a walk for Crepeau gave Francis Marion two base runners with no outs. A Wakefield single to center field scored Summerville and put pinch-runner sophomore Caleb Oakley in scoring position as the margin shrunk to 4-3. However, the Jaguars recorded three consecutive outs to stop the Patriots' late rally.
 
Sophomore southpaw Britt Kelly (1-5) grabbed the win for Augusta (12-13), while senior reliever Jasper Dubberly recorded his fourth save of the season.
 
 
Augusta 4, Francis Marion 3 (3/21/2023 at Augusta)
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Francis Marion...... 011 000 001  -  3  6  0      (13-16)
Augusta................ 010 000 21X  -  4  8  0      (11-13)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Luke Allain; Cory Poulsen(2); Austin Moore(3); Tyler Reynolds(6); Jack Hegan(7); Ben Thornton(8) and Isaac Schuck. Augusta - L. Howell; B. Kelly(3); J. Dubberly(9) and K. Laroche.
Win-Britt Kelly (1-5)  Save-Jasper Dubberly (3)  Loss-Tyler Reynolds (1-2)  T-3:00  A-125
HR FMU - Will Hardee.
HR AUGUSTA - P. Ingram; K. Laroche.
Weather: Fair, 61