GASTONIA, NC – After trailing by an early six-run deficit, Francis Marion University rallied by scoring 11 of the final 12 runs to secure an 11-7 victory over Erskine College on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament at CaroMont Health Park.
With the win, the Patriots improve to 41-10 overall and advance in the winner's bracket to face Belmont Abbey College or the University of Mount Olive on Friday, May 1, at 7 p.m.
Junior designated
Ethan McAnally delivered a 4-for-4 performance with a homer, three runs batted in, two runs scored, and one walk. Senior left fielder
Will Dorrell finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and one run scored. Sophomore center fielder
Adrian Nina reached base four times after going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks.
Freshman
Charlie Bonds earned the win (2-0) after yielding just one earned run on three hits in 3.1 innings of relief (34 pitches). Junior Jafet Martinex Delgado secured his team-leading fifth save of the season after tossing 3.2 scoreless innings with only one hit surrendered and five strikeouts.
The Flying Fleet (27-25) carried momentum into today's contest following a run-rule win on Thursday, as they tallied three runs off of two homers in the top of the first inning, 3-0.
In the top of the second, Erskine continued its offensive surge with two more home runs to climb the lead to 6-0. Meanwhile, the Patriots stranded five runners on base in the opening two frames, including leaving the bases loaded in the bottom half of the second.
Francis Marion answered in the bottom of the third with eight runs on six hits as the Patriots batted around the lineup. Nina got FMU on the board with a two-run single up the middle before freshman third baseman
Myles Proffitt laced an RBI single to center field to cut the deficit to 6-3. Senior first baseman
Riley Orr came through in the clutch with a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line to trail by one run, 6-5.
Following a pitching change, McAnally went yard on the first pitch with a three-run homer to center field, his 18th of the year, to put the Patriots in front by an 8-6 margin. He moved back into a tie with teammate
Charlie Bussey III for the FMU single-season record in home runs (18).
After a pair of scoreless frames, Erskine trimmed the lead to 8-7 with back-to-back doubles to begin the top of the sixth.
The Patriots would score three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as redshirt junior catcher
Zander Buchan produced a two-run single to right field before freshman shortstop
Logan Davis drove in another run on an RBI single to right-center, 11-7.
The duo of Bonds and Martinez Delgado shut down the Flying Fleet offense over the final 7.0 innings after allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out five.
Julien Hachem (1-1) of Erskine suffered the loss.
