FRANKLIN SPRING, GA – After erupting for 42 runs on 41 hits on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 21), No. 14 Francis Marion University completed the series sweep after taking both games of the doubleheader at Emmanuel University in Conference Carolinas baseball action. FMU won the first game 15-9 in the seven-inning contest before claiming a 27-3 victory in game two.

With the series sweep, the Patriots improve to 24-6 overall with a 15-3 mark in league play. Francis Marion earned its fifth Conference Carolinas series win of the season, including its fourth via a three-game sweep.

FMU returns to action on Tuesday, March 24, for a neutral site matchup against nationally-ranked Catawba College in Kannapolis, N.C. The contest will be played at Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

After a scoreless opening frame to start Game 1, the Patriots brought across five runners in the top of the second on three hits. Junior designated hitter Ethan McAnally led off with a solo homer to center field, tying the team's lead with nine home runs this season. With two outs, redshirt junior right fielder Charlie Bussey III laced a two-run single to left field before junior third baseman Brandon Vargas later scored on a throwing error and Bussey III crossed the plate on a passed ball, 5-0.

In the top of the fourth, Francis Marion extended its lead to 8-0 following three runs on three hits. Freshman shortstop Logan Davis delivered an RBI single to center field before Bussey III later hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center field. Senior left fielder Will Dorrell provided to the offensive output with an infield RBI to cap the inning.

The Lions responded in the bottom half of the fourth with five runs on just two hits after capitalizing on an error to trail by an 8-5 margin.

FMU answered back in the top of the fifth with an RBI double down the right-field line by Davis before Vargas ripped an RBI single to left field, 10-5.

In the top of the sixth, Francis Marion tallied two additional runs to lead 12-5 following an RBI sacrifice fly by redshirt junior catcher Zander Buchan and an RBI triple to left-center from Davis.

The Patriots would bring across three insurance runs in the top of the seventh with a three-run single to shallow center field by sixth-year center fielder Daniel Hussey with two outs, 15-5.

The Lions saw a late rally in the bottom of the seventh fall short despite a three-run homer to right-center, 15-9.

Six Patriots tallied multi-hit performances, led by Davis, who finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two extra-base hits, three runs batted in, and two runs scored. Bussey III registered one hit, three RBIs, one run scored, one walk, and two stolen bases. McAnally went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, three runs scored, and two walks, while Hussey totaled two hits and drove in three runs.

On the mound, junior left-handed pitcher Aydin Palmer (6-1) earned the win after yielding one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched (86 pitches). Redshirt freshman righty Owen Powell captured his second save of the year after tossing the final 3.0 innings in relief.

Emmanuel right-handed pitcher Ethan Pooler (2-4) suffered the loss.

In the final game of the series, the Patriots' offense delivered a stellar performance with 27 runs on 25 hits, with five players tallying at least three hits.

McAnally led the way with a 2-for-3 performance with two homers, five runs batted in, three runs scored, and two walks. Sophomore left fielder Reed McLain and freshman catcher John Lupienski each tallied multi-hit games with four RBIs, while senior first baseman Riley Orr went 3-for4 with three runs batted in, five runs scored, one walk, and two hit by pitches. Bussey III and Dorrell also recorded three-hit games with two RBIs against the Lions.

The FMU pitching staff, which featured five players, fanned 17 batters against only two walks in the game, equaling the second-highest single-game strikeout total in program history. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Cole Gursky (1-0) allowed just two earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings of work (81 pitches). Redshirt senior Tyler Reynolds, sophomore Tyler Skeen, redshirt junior Zeph Arnold, and freshman Charlie Bonds shut down the final four innings with just one run scored and 10 strikeouts.

Francis Marion scored six runs on five hits in the opening inning of the game, highlighted by an RBI double from Bussey III and a two-run triple to left-center by Orr.

In the second inning, FMU added a run as Orr crossed the plate on a passed ball before Emmanuel countered with an RBI on a fielder's choice to trail by a 7-1 margin.

The Patriots totaled three more runs in the third following a pair of RBI singles by Vargas and Dorrell, while Orr recorded an RBI on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, 10-1. In the fourth, Hussey belted a solo homer to right field, his third of the year, to stretch the lead to 11-1.

In the top of the fifth, Francis Marion erupted for 12 runs on 11 hits as McAnally hit two homers in the same inning while tallying five runs batted, his team-leading 10th and 11th home runs of the season. McAnally is only the second player in program history to homer twice in the same inning, joining Daniel Vizzini who accomplished the feat in the sixth inning of an 18-6 win over Morris College in 1990. 

Additionally, McLain entered the game as a pinch hitter and recorded two singles with three RBIs in the frame.

The Lions brought in a run in the bottom half of the fifth, but FMU responded with three runs in the sixth. McLain and senior second baseman Jake Hardee registered RBI singles while Lupienski drove in a pair on a single to right field, 27-2.

Emmanuel scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI double to left field.

 Southpaw Brayden Pooler of Emmanuel (0-2) was saddled with the loss.