FLORENCE, SC – Despite tallying three home runs on Friday night (Mar. 27), No. 13-ranked Francis Marion University was unable to prevent timely two-out hitting in a narrow 9-7 loss to the University of Mount Olive at Sparrow Stadium in Conference Carolinas baseball action.

Francis Marion (27-5, 15-4) will continue the three-game series with the Trojans on Saturday, March 28, with the doubleheader set to start at 1 p.m. The Patriots will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 2006 World Series Team prior to the game at 12:45 p.m.

Redshirt junior left fielder Charlie Bussey III finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a homer, two runs batted in, and two runs scored. Junior designated hitter Ethan McAnally launched a two-run homer with one run scored and one walk. Senior second baseman Jimmy Koza totaled two hits while senior first baseman Riley Orr registered a home run, two RBIs, and one run scored.

The Patriots established an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Bussey III belted a solo homer to left field, his 10th of the season.

Mount Olive quickly countered in the top of the second with an RBI single through the left side after two runners reached base on a walk and hit-by-pitch, 1-1. In the third, the Trojans increased their lead to 3-1 with back-to-back RBI base hits, including a double to left field.

Francis Marion answered in the bottom half of the third as Bussey III drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to right field. The next at-bat, McAnally blasted a two-run home run to center field, his team-leading 12th of the year, to put FMU back on top, 4-3. Orr immediately followed up a solo homer to left field, his seventh of the season, as the Patriots went back-to-back to hold a 5-3 advantage.

UMO again responded in the fourth with a two-out RBI single to center field to cut the deficit to 5-4. The Trojans regained the lead in the top of the fifth with a three-run homer to center field with two outs to grab a 7-5 edge. FMU did manage to trim the deficit to 7-6 in the bottom half of the frame after Bussey III scored on a double play.

In the top of the sixth, Mount Olive recorded two quick groundouts before two Trojans reached base on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. UMO took advantage with a two-run double into the left-center field gap to extend the lead to 9-6.

FMU was held scoreless over the next three frames before attempting a comeback bid in the bottom of the ninth. The Patriots loaded the bases with one out before Orr laced a sacrifice fly to left field to close the gap to 9-7. Mount Olive recorded a strikeout on the next at-bat to seal the win in Game 1.

Junior Eze Rojas (3-2) suffered the loss after yielding seven earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts, two walks, and three hit-by-pitches over 5.0 innings (101 pitches). Redshirt freshman Owen Powell delivered a solid performance out of the bullpen after tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief with two walks and a strikeout.

Carson Gipson (4-3) of Mount Olive earned the win after allowing six runs (four earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts and zero walks in 7.0 innings pitched (125 pitches).