CENTRAL, SC – Francis Marion University fell short to Southern Wesleyan University on Friday (Apr. 19) evening after the Warriors went on a seven-run spurt in the seventh inning to defeat the Patriots 20-13 in Conference Carolinas league action.
 
The Patriots will complete the three-game series against the Warriors with a double-header set for Saturday (Apr. 20) afternoon in Central, SC. The first pitch is set to be thrown out at 1 p.m.
 
Senior center fielder Zack Summerville paced Francis Marion with two runs scored, three hits, and four runs driven in. Four other Patriots tallied 2 hits while five others recorded one hit apiece.
 
Sophomore left-fielder Caleb Oakley started off strong for Francis Marion, driving a shot over the fence in left field for the first run. After sophomore third baseman Peyton Starkey flew out to right field, Summerville singled through the right side for a base hit. Junior shortstop Peyton Wilson soon cleared the bases with a double, bringing the score to 2-0 in the top of the first inning.
 
After the junior right fielder Tanner Cannon fouled out to SWU's first baseman, junior catcher Nick LaVigne made his way to first off a single to third base. Another single, this time from Starkey, scored LaVigne for a 3-0 lead. The Patriots (16-26, 7-18) posted two more runs in the top of the second inning for a 5-0 lead as Summerville plated both Starkey and Wilson with a two-run double.
 
Southern Wesleyan (7-38, 5-20) tallied its first two runs of the night in the bottom of the second, trimming FMU's lead down to 5-2. In response, Francis Marion added another run as junior designated hitter Noah Stout homered to center field.
 
Southern Wesleyan soon overtook Francis Marion as the Warriors listed 10 runs over the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. The Patriots trailed 16-6 after four scoreless innings.
 
With his first appearance of the 2024 season, freshman catcher Brody Sanders started the eighth inning with a double to center field. Oakley followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners. Francis Marion tallied its seventh run as Sanders scored on a wild pitch.
 
After a double from Wilson that scored Starkey and Oakley, Summerville homered to right field for two RBIs and a 16-11 deficit. FMU scored two more runs in the top of the eighth inning on infield singles by Cannon and Sanders.
 
The Warriors added four insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to lead 20-13 lead.
 
FMU sophomore right-hander Josh Adams (3-5) faced a total of 16 batters, striking out two as his recorded the loss. Jaylen Morgan of Southern Wesleyan picked up his first win of the season.