GASTONIA, NC – Top-seeded and 18th-ranked Francis Marion University fell to eighth-seeded Emmanuel University (Ga.) 15-8 in the first-round of the 2025 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament on Thursday (May 1) afternoon.
The Patriots fall to 39-12 and move on to the elimination round of the tournament to play fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke on Friday (May 2) at 11 a.m.
Conference Carolinas' Player of the Year
Charlie Bussey III paced the Patriots a pair of home runs and five runs driven in.
Senior catcher
Caleb Oakley added a pair of hits and one RBI, while senior right fielder
Austin Bunn and All-Conference shortstop
Rayth Petersen tallied one hit apiece.
Landon Mokris, Hayden Beall, and Dobbs Bowden led Emmanuel University (28-24) with three runs batted in and three hits each, while Ryan Muniz chipped in another three RBIs.
Conference Carolinas' Pitcher of the Year
Rijnaldo Euson (11-3) started for FMU and set the pace early for the Patriots by striking out all three batters in the top of the first. With five total strikeouts, he maintains his first-place standing in all NCAA Divisions with 114 strikeouts.
Following a base hit by Oakley in the bottom of the first, Bussey III drilled his eighth home run of the season well over the wall in left field to assume a 2-0 lead. That knock also hitting streak to eight games.
With two outs in the second frame, FMU senior right fielder
Austin Bunn singled to right to drive in
Noah Stout for a 3-0 advantage. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for the Patriots before Bunn scored on a passed ball to put Francis Marion ahead 4-0.
Emmanuel began a run of 15 unanswered tallies with two runs in the top of the third inning.
A five-run outburst in the top of the fourth gave the Lions a 7-4 lead. Emmanuel widened the margin to 8-4 in the top of the fifth on a RBI-double by Bowden.
The Lions posted another two runs in the top of the seventh on a two-run RBI single by Muniz, and Beall added a three-run homer in the eighth to widen the margin to 13-4. Emmanuel added a pair of two insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
Francis Marion then chased Brayden Pooler (2-1) from the mound in the bottom of the ninth as Oakley hit an RBI single and Bussey III hit his second home run of the game, a long three-run blast, to cut the deficit to 15-8.
Pooler relieved Lions' starter Lucas Meehan in the third inning and blanked the Patriots until the ninth.
Emmanuel 15, #18 Francis Marion 8 (May 01, 2025 at Gastonia, N.C.)
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Emmanuel............ 002 510 232 - 15 16 1 (28-24)
Francis Marion...... 220 000 004 - 8 7 3 (39-12)
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Pitchers: Emmanuel - Lucas Meehan; Brayden Pooler(3); Will Sherman(9) and Zachary Bergstrom. Francis Marion -
Rijnaldo Euson;
Danny Leo(8);
Braxton Elms IV(9) and
Caleb Oakley; D. Villaran Goundis.
Win-Brayden Pooler (2-1) Loss-
Rijnaldo Euson (11-3) T-3:12 A-118
HR EMMANUEL - Landon Mokris (12); Hayden Beall (6).
HR FMU -
Charlie Bussey III 2 (9).
Weather: 76, overcast, wind SW 8mph
