FLORENCE, SC – Sophomore Charlie Bussey III ripped a two-out, run-scoring single up middle in the bottom of the eighth inning as 20th-ranked Francis Marion University overcame a four-run deficit to beat Newberry College 7-6 and sweep Saturday's (Apr. 26) non-conference baseball doubleheader.  FMU won the opener 6-2 behind a two-run double by junior center fielder Will Dorrell and the complete-game effort of senior southpaw Rijnaldo Euson.
 
The two squads will play a Senior Day contest on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Sparrow Stadium.  The Patriots will honor 15 seniors prior to first pitch.
 
Francis Marion improves to 38-11.  After the game, FMU and first-year head coach Jeff Jefferson learned that they will share the Conference Carolinas regular-season crown based on results elsewhere in league action today. 
 
In the opener, FMU made the most of its five hits as Euson (11-2) notched his 11th win of the season – second most in NCAA Division II.  He surrendered only four hits, but walked six and struck out nine.
 
Infield singles by senior catcher Caleb Oakley and Bussey III with one out in the bottom of the first set the table for Dorrell and he promptly doubled to left center on an 0-2 pitch to give FMU an early 2-0 advantage.
 
Senior second baseman Owen Taylor added to the team's nation-leading sacrifice fly total (40) with a run-scoring fly out in the third.
 
Euson stranded two runners in scoring position in the third, fifth, and sixth innings.
 
After a Newberry pitching change in the sixth, Taylor and senior designated hitter Noah Stout walked and both moved up on a sacrifice bunt.  With the infield drawn in, Newberry errored on a grounder to the shortstop allowing Taylor to scored.  Freshman outfielder Adrian Nina followed with a bounding RBI-single through the right side to up the margin to 5-0.  Senior shortstop Rayth Petersen then singled to shortstop to plate senior outfielder Austin Bunn with the team's sixth run.
 
Those insurance runs proved vital as Newberry scored twice in the top of the seventh (and final inning) and left the bases loaded as the contest ended.
 
Newberry right-handed starter Chansen Cole (7-4) was the losing pitcher.
 
In the second contest, neither team scored over the first three innings.  A miss-played fly ball and two throwing errors helped fuel a four-run outburst by Newberry (25-24) in the top of the sixth.
 
Hard-hit singles by Bunn, Petersen, and Oakley to lead off the fifth inning accounted for Francis Marion's first run, with Oakley picking up the RBI.  However, the Patriots left two runners on base in that frame.
 
Bunn deposited a long two-run homer – his team-leading 11th of the season – over the left field wall in the bottom of the sixth to trim the margin to 4-3.
 
After a scoreless seventh inning, Newberry scored twice in the eighth on an RBI-triple by first baseman Cooper Gentry and a run-scoring single by designated hitter Anthony Plotkin to reestablish a three-run advantage at 6-3.
 
However, Francis Marion rallied in the bottom half of the frame.  With one out, Stout lined a double down the rightfield line.  Junior third baseman Jimmy Koza walked and junior catcher Dariel Villaran Goundis recorded an infield single to load the bases.
 
Bunn was then hit by a pitch for the program-record 26th time this season to plate Stout. Petersen drove a two-run single through the left side to knotting the score at 6-6.  After a foul out, Bussey III hit a full-count pitch just out of the reach of the second baseman and into center field to score Nina (who was pinch-running for Bunn) for the go-ahead run.
 
In the top of the ninth, Petersen moved from shortstop to the mound.  He retired the first two batters, and after a throwing error put the potential tying run on second, registered a strikeout for the final out to earn his fourth save of 2025.
  
Junior right-hander Robbie Jordan started for FMU and pitched seven strong innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts.  Senior righty Josh Adams (6-1) pitched the eighth inning and earned the win.
 
Newberry reliever Hunter French (1-5) was tagged with the loss.
 
Six Patriots had two hits in game two:  Petersen, Oakley, Bussey III, Stout, Villaran Goundis, and Bunn.
 
Dorrell drew a game-two walk to extend his streak of safely reaching base to 39 games.

 
 
#20 Francis Marion Univ. 6, Newberry College 2 (Apr 26, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 1)
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Newberry College.... 000 000 2 -  2  4  1      (25-23)
Francis Marion Univ. 201 003 X -  6  5  1      (37-11)
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Pitchers: Newberry College - Chansen Cole; Keillor  Osbon(6); Brayden Gilson(6) and Luke White.  Francis Marion Univ. - Rijnaldo Euson and Caleb Oakley.
Win-Rijnaldo Euson (11-2)  Loss-Chansen Cole (7-4)  T-2:31  A-213
Weather: 76, Cloudy, winds @9 mph SSW
K. Osbon faced 2 batters in the 6th.
 
 
#20 Francis Marion Univ. 7, Newberry College 6 (Apr 26, 2025 at Florence, SC) (Game 2)
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Newberry College.... 000 400 020  -  6  8  0      (25-24)
Francis Marion Univ. 000 012 04X  -  7 13  3      (38-11)
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Pitchers: Newberry College - Ethan LeBron; Hunter French(7); Wyatt Carey(8) and
Logan Busenlehner. Francis Marion Univ. - Robbie Jordan; Josh Adams(8); Rayth Petersen(9) and D. Villaran Goundis.
Win-Josh Adams (6-1)  Save-Rayth Petersen (4)  Loss-Hunter French (1-5)  T-2:51
HR FMU - Austin Bunn (11).
Weather: 81, Sunny, winds @9 mph SW