FLORENCE, SC – Junior catcher Tucker Rabun's two-run single up the middle highlighted a six-run eighth inning as Francis Marion University rallied for a 10-6 non-conference win over Lake Erie College, Wednesday night (Mar. 8) in baseball action.
 
Francis Marion improves to 11-10 and will head to 21st-ranked UNC Pembroke this weekend for a key Conference Carolinas series.  In the latest installment of the Battle of I-95, the two squads will play a single game on Friday at 5 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m.  The Patriots occupy third place in the league standings one game behind the second-place Braves.
 
Graduate student left fielder Tanner Wakefield registered the sixth four-hit game of his career as he went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and a run batted in.  Rabun was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while junior right fielder Zack Summerville collected two hits and an RBI.
 
Senior right-hander Ben Thornton (1-0) earned the win in relief, while sophomore righty Josh Adams retired Lake Erie in order in the ninth to register his first career save.  Wakefield provided two great catches in the ninth to preserve the victory.
 
The Patriots claimed a 2-0 advantage in the second on an RBI-ground out by junior shortstop Blake Falor and a run-scoring single by sophomore center fielder Caleb Oakley.
 
After the Storm (1-11) scored once in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit in half, FMU answered with two tallies in the bottom of the frame on RBI-singles by Wakefield and Falor.
 
The score remained 4-1 until a wild eighth inning that saw a total of 11 runners cross home plate.  Lake Erie plated five runners in the top half, capped by a two-run single from shortstop Zimba Cadiz, to take a 6-4 lead.
 
Francis Marion then batted around in the bottom of the inning scoring six times to regain the lead at 10-6.  FMU took advantage of four walks and two hit batters in the frame.  Freshman third baseman Charlie Bussey III forced in the first run with a bases-loaded walk and Rabun followed with his two-run single to put FMU on top 7-5.  Oakley later walked with the bases loaded, Summerville hit a sacrifice fly, and Wakefield scored the final run on a wild pitch.
 
Junior right-hander Darren Acosta (0-3), the fifth of six Storm pitchers, was tagged with the loss.
 
Francis Marion has now scored in double digits in four of its last six contests.


 
Francis Marion Univ. 10, Lake Erie College 6 (Mar 08, 2023 at Florence, SC)
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Lake Erie College…. 000 010 050  -  6 10  1      (1-11)
Francis Marion Univ. 020 020 06X  - 10 13  1      (11-10)
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Pitchers: Lake Erie College - Robert Helt; Zach Saffell(3); Cooper Moran(5); Landen Vance(6);
Darren Acosta(8); William Cornett(8) and Sebastian Silva; Josue Cruz. Francis Marion Univ. -
Danny Leo; Jack Hegan(6); Matt Dooley(8); Ben Thornton(8); Josh Adams(9) and Tucker Rabun.
Win-Ben Thornton (1-0)  Save-Josh Adams (1)  Loss-Darren Acosta (0-3)  T-3:26  A-100
Weather: Mostly clear,62,Winds S@9 mph
Darren Acosta faced 4 batters in the 8th.