GASTONIA, NC – Graduate student right fielder Will Hardee, not wanting his career to end, homered twice and drove in all four runs, while sophomore right-hander Robbie Jordan tossed 5.2 shutout innings as sixth-seeded Francis Marion University defeated three-seeded and nationally ranked UNC Pembroke 4-2 on Saturday (May 6) night to advance to the Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament championship game in Gastonia, N.C.  
 
The Patriots (29-24) move to the title game on Sunday at 4 p.m., while No.19/24 UNCP (38-14) will play fourth-seeded and 14th-ranked University of Mount Olive in an elimination game on Sunday 1 p.m.   The winner of the 4 p.m. game earns the conference's ticket to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament.
 
Jordan (6-3), working on two days rest after throwing 103 pitches in a victory over Erskine College, entered in the top of fourth and the bases loaded.  He allowed only two hits over the 5.2 innings with no walks and six strikeouts. It was the Florence native's first relief appearance as a Patriot. 
 
Junior righty Connor Kirkley earned the start for FMU and threw a career-high 3.1 innings. The two hurlers combined to only allow five hits against the high-powered Braves.
 
Hardee was 4-for-4 at the plate with a single, double, and the two homers. He pushes his school-record career hits total to 295.
 
Patriot senior third baseman Mickey Skole followed with two hits, while three other Patriots recorded base knocks.
 
Francis Marion opened up with a 2-0 lead after three innings with Hardee thumping an RBI-single in the first and a solo home run over the right-field wall in the third.
 
After loading the bases in the fourth with no outs, the Braves scored twice on fielder's choice grounders to even the score at 2-2.
 
In the fifth, Hardee, a native of Evergreen, crushed a two-run home run over the left field fence to put FMU in front 4-2. This marked his third homer of the tournament and the 21st homer of his career and the first time he has reached double-digit home runs in a season (10).
 
Patriot senior shortstop Naphis Llanos extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his streak of safely reaching base to 21 contests.    
 
Pembroke's Branden Kunz (5-3) was tagged with the loss after throwing six innings.
 
 
The victory snapped a six-game skid for Francis Marion in the Battle of I-95 against the Braves on the diamond.
 
FMU will be seeking it first conference tournament title since 2009 when the Patriots were members of the Peach Belt Conference.

 
 
Francis Marion 4, #19/24 UNC Pembroke 2 (May 06, 2023 at Gastonia, N.C.)
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UNC Pembroke..... 000 200 000  -  2  5  1      (38-14)
Francis Marion...... 101 020 00X  -  4  9  5      (29-24)
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Pitchers: UNC Pembroke - B. Kunz; S. Ledford(7) and J. Bradley. Francis Marion -
Connor Kirkley; Robbie Jordan(4) and Isaac Schuck.
Win-Robbie Jordan (6-3)  Loss-Branden Kunz (5-3)  T-2:16  A-175
HR FMU - Will Hardee 2 (10).