WILSON, NC – Junior right-hander Eze Rojas matched a career-high with eight strikeouts after tossing 6.0 scoreless innings in the start, as the No. 21-ranked Francis Marion University baseball program posted a 10-6 win at Barton College on Friday afternoon (March 6) in Conference Carolinas play.

With the win, the Patriots improve to 17-3 overall with an 8-2 mark in the league competition. Franics Marion concludes the three-game series against the Bulldogs on Saturday, March 7, with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.

In his second start this year, Rojas made his longest outing of the season after yielding just two hits in 6.0 scoreless innings pitched (82 pitches). He matched his career-high in strikeouts with eight while issuing one walk. Rojas recorded six-straight outs to begin the contest and retired the side in order three times.

Senior righty Roman Edwards earned the save after allowing two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief.

At the plate, senior outfielder Riley Orr led the offensive charge with a 4-for-5 performance. He hit a solo homer with three runs scored and one stolen base. Junior third baseman Brandon Vargas finished 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs batted in, three runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Senior second baseman Will Dorrell saw his on-base streak come to an end at 62 games following five plate appearances on Friday.

Francis Marion threatened to score in the initial three innings of the game after stranding a runner in scoring position in each frame. Orr scored the opening run in the top of the fourth with a solo homer to left field, his fifth of the season. FMU would bring across three more runs in the inning, including an infield RBI single by Vargas, 4-0.

In the top of the fifth, Francis Marion scored two runs on three hits, highlighted by an RBI double by junior outfielder Matthew Manuel to left-center. Vargas added to the Patriot lead in the sixth with a leadoff solo homer to left field to extend the advantage to 7-0.

Barton cut into the deficit in the bottom of the seventh after capitalizing on three walks, a hit-by-pitch, and an error to trail by a 7-4 margin. FMU scored three insurance runs in the final two frames with redshirt junior outfielder Charlie Bussey III and freshman shortstop Logan Davis each recording an RBI on a walk, 10-4.

The Bulldogs tallied a pair of runs on sacrifice flies in the ninth, but Francis Marion registered the final out on a lineout to right field to secure the 10-6 victory.