FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore first baseman
Charlie Bussey III collected three hits, scored twice, and drove in two runs to lead 20th-ranked Francis Marion University to an 11-2 victory over Chowan University, Friday evening (Apr. 18) in Conference Carolinas baseball action.
Francis Marion improves to 34-11 overall and 20-8 in conference play, the first time since becoming an NCAA member school in 1992 that FMU has won 20 conference games in a season. The two squads will conclude their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
FMU senior right-hander
Daemon Woodruff (3-2) made his second start of 2025 and earned the victory with five innings of work – his longest outing as a Patriot. He allowed two runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
Following the lead of Bussey III, the remainder of the Francis Marion starting infield, senior second baseman
Owen Taylor, senior shortstop
Rayth Petersen, and junior third baseman
Jimmy Koza, had two hits apiece.
Chowan scored a run in the top of the first, but FMU answered with three in the bottom half of the frame. Singles by Petersen, Taylor, and Bussey III loaded the bases with no outs. Junior center fielder
Will Dorrell plated the first run with a sacrifice fly and senior outfielder
Caleb Oakley followed with a high-chopper that cleared the third baseman for an RBI-single. The third run scored on a throwing error by Chowan starter Nicky Wohleking (0-6).
The Patriots plated a pair of two-out runs in the fourth on an RBI-single to center by Bussey III and a two-run double down the left field line by Dorrell. Dorrell extended his streak of safely reaching base to 35 games.
Chowan got one run back in the fifth inning on an RBI-double down the right field line by right fielder Christopher Rumaldo. FMU answered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame to go up 10-2 when Petersen plated two with a double to the left-center field gap, and then he scored on an infield single by Taylor. Taylor then came home on a double down the right field line by Bussey III.
A run-scoring infield single by Koza upped the margin to 11-2 in the sixth.
FMU freshman righty
Tristan Neely relieved Woodruff in the sixth and pitched three hitless innings, allowing only one base runner, with six strikeouts. Junior righty
Tyson Hall pitched a scoreless ninth inning to end the contest.
#20 Francis Marion Univ. 11, Chowan University 2 (Apr 18, 2025 at Florence, SC)
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Chowan University... 100 010 000 - 2 5 3 (6-27, 4-21 CC)
Francis Marion Univ. 300 341 00X - 11 15 1 (34-11, 20-8 CC)
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Pitchers: Chowan University - Nicky Wohleking; Josh Tripp(5); Cody Ives(6); Nicolas Cataldo(8)
and Warren Bailey. Francis Marion Univ. -
Daemon Woodruff;
Tristan Neely(6);
Tyson Hall(9) and
D. Villaran Goundis;
Hunter Looper.
Win-
Daemon Woodruff(3-2) Loss-Nicky Wohleking(0-6) T-3:08 A-187
Weather: Partly Cloudy,79,Winds S@14mph
