BELMONT, NC – Francis Marion University put together 18 hits in game two, including four from graduate student right fielder Will Hardee who homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs, to split its doubleheader with Belmont Abbey College on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 25) in Conference Carolinas baseball action.  The Patriots fell in game one 10-6, but collected an 11-9 victory in game two.
 
Francis Marion drops the series two-games-to-one and moves to 14-19 overall and 8-10 in league play. The Patriots will travel for a non-conference game at Wingate University on Wednesday (Mar. 29) at 6 p.m.
 
In game two, senior right-hander Matt Dooley (3-0) earned the win by tossing six innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits, with four strikeouts. Senior righty Ben Thornton recorded the final two outs, both on strikeouts, to close out the win.
 
Sophomore center fielder Caleb Oakley joined Hardee with four hits.  Hardee also scored three times. Junior left fielder Zack Summerville, sophomore first baseman Kollin Crepeau, graduate student second baseman Tanner Wakefield, and junior shortstop Blake Falor all had two-hit performances in the second contest.
 
Oakley was hit by a pitch and Hardee singled to right field to give Patriots runners on the corners in the top of the first. The Patriots pulled across two runners beginning with Oakley scoring on a wild pitch and Wakefield penciling a one-run RBI single to score Hardee for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Crusaders answered with an RBI single to left field in the first and catcher Garrett Browder secured his second bomb of the day, drilling a two-run home run to left centerfield to give Belmont Abbey a 3-2 advantage.  
 
FMU heated the bats up in the second with freshmen third baseman Charlie Bussey III smashing his first career home run as a Patriot to even the score at 3-3. The seasoned veteran Hardee felt inspired and ripped his second homer of the day into centerfield scoring three Patriots for a 6-3 advantage.
 
Belmont Abbey had two bases-loaded situations in the second inning that helped them score two runs cutting the lead to 6-5, one came from a wild pitch and the other on a sacrifice fly.
 
After Summerville ripped a three-bagger, Hardee's bat stayed hot and he crushed his second home run of the game, and third of the day, to give Francis Marion an 8-5 lead in the fourth inning.
 
In the sixth, Oakley punched a double to left field and Hardee would be intentionally walked leaving Crepeau with a good opportunity to record an RBI single and stretch FMU's lead to four at 9-5.
 
Two more runs gathered in the seventh, with Oakley grabbing an RBI single with the bases loaded and Hardee picking up an RBI single as well to give the Patriots a six-run lead at 11-5.
 
BAC added two late runs in the eighth, and the Crusaders had the tying run at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, but senior right-handed reliever Austin Moore retired the final batter to stop the inning. The Crusaders would creep into the Patriot lead in the ninth with a two-run home run to shrink the lead to 11-9, but Thornton struck out the final batter to secure the result.
 
Sophomore Ethan Wilson (2-1) was tagged with the loss after throwing two innings of work, giving up six runs on seven hits, with two strikeouts.
 
In Saturday's opener junior southpaw Chas DeBruhl started for FMU throwing five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, and striking out four. Junior right-hander Connor Kirkley (1-2) took the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits.
 
Four Patriots grabbed one hit at the dish, while Hardee and junior designated hitter Alex Elliott each recorded two RBIs. Hardee scored twice.
 
The Patriots quickly got to business in the top of the first with Summerville shooting a single up the middle and Hardee crushing his two-run moon shot to give FMU an early 2-0 lead.
 
Belmont Abbey (21-10, 8-10) scored in the first on a no-out, bases-loaded situation, but good defense by FMU allowed only one run as it recorded a double play on the RBI and a ground out in the following at-bat.
 
BAC tied the score shortly after at 2-2 in the third on a double to left field and an RBI single up the middle. The Crusaders took over when Connor Tucker cracked a two-run home run down the right-field line to lead 4-2.
 
Another home run came the Crusaders' way in the fifth when Browder smashed a solo dinger to left field stretching their advantage to 5-2.
 
Francis Marion caught fire in the sixth inning starting with a bases-loaded situation, including a double from Crepeau. Elliott then stepped up and powered a two-run double to left centerfield to help draw within one at 5-4 with no outs. Senior catcher Isaac Schuck scored Wakefield on a ground out and Elliott came home when Falor reached on a fielding error to reclaim the lead at 6-5.
 
With two outs in the sixth, the Crusaders responded with an RBI single to tie the score and put the go-ahead run on third. Tucker hit his second home run of the game, scoring three, in the following at-bat to jump the Crusaders in front 9-6. Belmont Abbey added more on a one-run double down the right field line and held the Patriots in the top of the seventh to win game one 10-6.
 
Junior Myles Hedgecock (3-0) picked up the win after coming in the sixth frame. He went two innings, allowing no hits or runs, with one walk, and one strikeout.
 
 
Belmont Abbey 10, Francis Marion 6 (3/25/2023 at Belmont, N.C.) (Game 1)
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Francis Marion...... 200 004 0 -  6  4  0      (13-19, 7-10)
Belmont Abbey....... 103 015 X - 10 12  3      (21-9, 8-9)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Chas DeBruhl; Cory Poulsen(6); Connor Kirkley(6) and Isaac Shuck.
Belmont Abbey - A. Sniffen; M. Hedgecock(6) and Browder.
Win-M. Hedgecock (3-0)  Loss-Connor Kirkley (1-2)  T-2:13  A-217
HR FMU - Will Hardee.
HR BAC - C. Tucker 2; G. Browder.
Weather: 71, mostly cloudy, NE 12
 
 
Francis Marion 11, Belmont Abbey 9 (3/25/2023 at Belmont, N.C.) (Game 2)
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Francis Marion...... 240 201 200  - 11 18  2      (14-19, 8-10)
Belmont Abbey....... 320 000 022  -  9  8  0      (21-10, 8-10)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Matt Dooley; Austin Moore(7); Josh Adams(8); Ben Thornton(9) and Isaac Shuck.
Belmont Abbey - E. Wilson; N. Aehlert(3); A. Brown(7); L. Dickerson(7); D. Stegura(7);
J. Craddock(9); J. Mruk(9) and Browder.
Win-Matt Dooley (3-0)  Loss-E. Wilson (2-1)  T-3:18
HR FMU - Will Hardee 2; Charlie Bussey III.
HR BAC - G. Browder; A. Adams.
Weather: 78, sunny, windy, NE 15 mph