FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore first baseman
Charlie Bussey III recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game for Francis Marion University with five hits, four runs scored, and one run batted in during a 22-1 defeat of Southern Wesleyan University on Friday (Mar. 21) night.
The Patriots (20-9, 10-6) will complete the three-game series against Southern Wesleyan on Saturday (Mar. 22) afternoon, with the first game of the doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
Francis Marion also set a new school record for runs scored in an inning during the eighth-inning 15-run offensive onslaught. The previous record was 14 runs set in 1987 against Voorhees College in a 26-0 victory.
FMU senior right-handed pitcher
Josh Adams improved his record to 3-1 with four scoreless innings, three strikeouts, and three hits allowed.
Griffin Pickhardt led Southern Wesleyan (7-22, 6-10) with one hit and one run scored. Gage Shaver falls to 0-4 after six innings of work, while allowing five hits and striking out seven.
Patriot senior second baseman
Owen Taylor, junior center fielder
Will Dorrell, senior designated hitter
Noah Stout, and junior third baseman
Jimmy Koza all tallied two hits apiece as Francis Marion outhit Southern Wesleyan 17-7.
Two errors by the Warriors on the same play allowed senior shortstop
Rayth Petersen and Bussey III to both score for a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Southern Wesleyan cut the lead to 1-0 in the top of the second as Zach Kim scored Pickhardt with a sacrifice fly.
Senior right-hander
Daniel Barcena escaped a bases loaded jam in the top of the fourth to retain the Patriots' one-run advantage. Both teams had gone scoreless for the previous inning and the score remained at 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Francis Marion rallied behind Bunn as the leading home-run hitter singled to score Taylor from third base. Following Bunn's lead, Dorrell registered another base hit that plated Bussey III and allowed the Patriots to take a 4-1 lead.
With runners at first and second, Stout drove in both Dorrell and Bunn to widen the margin to 6-1. FMU's final run of the seventh inning crossed home plate as junior catcher Dariel Villaran-Goundis distracted SWU's defense long enough to allow Stout to score from third.
The 15-run eighth inning saw 21 Patriots come to the plate, and the frame included seven hits, seven walks, three hit batters, and two errors.
Francis Marion Univ. 22, Southern Wesleyan U. 1 (Mar 21, 2025 at Florence, SC)
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Southern Wesleyan U. 010 000 00 0 - 1 7 7 (7-22, 6-10 cc)
Francis Marion Univ. 200 000 5(15)X - 22 17 2 (20-9, 10-6 cc)
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Pitchers: Southern Wesleyan U. - Gage Shaver; Bryce Metts(7); Gehrig Schreiber(8);
Landon Deese(8); Aidan Cunningham(8) and Griffin Pickhardt. Francis Marion Univ. -
Daniel Barcena;
Josh Adams(5);
Tripp Triplett(9) and D. Villaran Goundis;
Caleb Oakley.
Win-
Josh Adams(3-1) Loss-Gage Shaver(0-4) T-3:43 A-133
Weather: Sunny, 64, winds 6 mph W
Barcena faced 2 batters in the 5th.
Metts, B faced 3 batters in the 8th.
Deese, L faced 5 batters in the 8th.
