GASTONIA, NC – Junior southpaw Chas DeBruhl and senior righty Ben Thornton combined on a five-hitter and sixth-seeded Francis Marion University cranked out 14 hits to take a 15-5 run-rule win over the top-seeded and top-ranked North Greenville University in the double-elimination round of the 2023 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament, Thursday night (May 4).
 
The Patriots (27-23) will play against fourth-seeded and 14th-ranked University of Mount Olive (32-15) on Friday (May 5) at 3 p.m.  The defending national champion Crusaders (44-7) drop into the losers' bracket.
 
DeBruhl (6-4) picked up the win by tossing 5.1 innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits, walking one, and fanning seven batters. Thornton threw 1.2 innings, allowing no runs, one hit, one walk, while recording a strikeout to seal the victory.
 
For DeBruhl, it was his second win over NGU this season.  The Kershaw native started and earned the win in a 6-3 victory on Feb. 25 in Florence.
 
The Crusaders are ranked the top team in hitting throughout Conference Carolinas with a team average of .329, first in hits with 558, and the most runs batted in at 431.
 
The starting lineup for the Patriots all recorded a hit, while sophomore center fielder Caleb Oakley led with three hits and two runs scored. Junior left fielder Zack Summerville, sophomore first baseman Kollin Crepeau, and senior catcher Isaac Schuck each grabbed two hits apiece with Schuck and Summerville both driving in three runs each.  
 
The Patriots began the scoring affair in the second when freshman designated hitter Charlie Bussey III blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall. In the following inning, graduate student right fielder Will Hardee crushed one of his own over the left field wall to extend the Patriots' lead to 4-0.  Hardee moves to within two hits of the school record total of 287 set by Michael Wilson.
 
Crusader third baseman Cory Bivins shrunk the Patriot advantage at 4-2 after knocking a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the third.
 
Three more runs came through from Francis Marion in the fourth after an RBI single from Schuck, a fielding error from the Crusaders, and a ground-rule double by Summerville to increase FMU's lead to 7-2. Schuck plated another run in the fifth on a single to right center, increasing the advantage to 8-2.
 
A seven-run outburst in the sixth helped the Patriots grab a 13-run lead at 15-2. Graduate student second baseman Tanner Wakefield secured an RBI triple to left center and Crepeau followed with an RBI single to give FMU an eight-run lead at 10-2. A bases-loaded walk for Schuck, a two-run single for Summerville, an RBI single for Oakley, and a throwing error by NGU accounted for the outburst.
 
The Crusaders tallied three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the final margin 10 runs.
 
Crusader starter Caleb Cox (4-3) was tagged with the loss after hurling 3.1 innings.
 
In addition to his homer, Bussey III walked three times and scored four runs.


 
Francis Marion 15, #1 North Greenville 5 (05/04/2023 at Gastonia, N.C.)
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Francis Marion...... 022 317 0 - 15 14  0      (27-23)
North Greenville.... 002 003 0 -  5  5  2      (44-7)
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Pitchers: Francis Marion - Chas DeBruhl; Ben Thornton(6) and Isaac Schuck. North Greenville - Caleb Cox; Matthew Murphy(4); Evan Loeser(6); Myles  Daniels(6) and John Michael Faile; Jax Cash.
Win-Chas DeBruhl (6-4)  Loss-Caleb Cox (4-3)  T-2:36  A-225
HR FMU - Will Hardee (8); Charlie Bussey III (2).
HR NGU - John Michael Faile (13); Cory Bivins (11).
Weather: 70, clear, wind SSW 2mph