GREENWOOD, SC – Junior designated hitter
Ethan McAnally reached base five times and scored four runs to lead 7th-ranked Francis Marion University to a thrilling 13-11 victory at Lander University on Tuesday night (April 7) in non-conference regional baseball action.
With the win, the Patriots improve to 31-8 overall with an impressive 15-5 road mark. FMU has won its last three non-conference regional games, all coming on the road.
Francis Marion will host its final Conference Carolinas series at Sparrow Stadium this weekend in a matchup against league newcomer Ferrum College. The Patriots will play Game 1 on Friday, April 10, at 6 p.m. before celebrating Senior Day on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
McAnally delivered a 3-for-3 performance at the plate with two doubles, two runs batted in, four runs scored, and two walks. Sixth-year center fielder
Daniel Hussey went 3-for-5 with one RBI, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
Redshirt junior third baseman
Charlie Bussey III achieved history on Tuesday, becoming the single-season runs scored leader with 72 after crossing the plate in the top of the first. He surpasses a 15-year-old record held by Michael Wilson (2011-14) of 71 runs scored.
On the mound, junior
Jafet Martinez Delgado earned the win (4-0) after yielding three earned runs on two hits with one strikeout and one walk in 1.1 innings pitched. Fellow junior
Mason Huffstickler took a no-decision after a stellar performance on the mound with 5.0 scoreless innings pitched with only two hits allowed and three strikeouts.
Despite not recording a hit in the top of the first inning, the Patriots brought across two runs after five walks as redshirt junior
Zander Buchan and junior third baseman
Brandon Vargas recorded an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, 2-0.
In the top of the second, McAnally added to the lead with a two-out RBI double down the left-field line to take a 3-0 edge. The Bearcats (22-17) responded in the bottom half of the frame, scoring five runs on four hits while capitalizing on back-to-back errors in the infield, 5-3.
Francis Marion quickly cut the deficit to one run in the top of the third following an RBI groundout by freshman shortstop
Logan Davis.
The Patriots regained their lead in the fifth inning by a 7-5 margin as McAnally registered an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field before Bussey III scored on a wild pitch. Buchan tallied the final run of the frame with an RBI groundout to the shortstop.
In the top of the sixth, FMU brought in two additional runs to increase the lead courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Vargas and Hussey stealing home, 9-5.
Bussey III led off the eighth inning with a solo homer to left field, his 12th of the season, to extend the advantage to 10-5. He moved into sole possession of third all-time in program history with 26 career home runs. The next at-bat, McAnally laced a double down the left-field line before Hussey produced an RBI single up the middle, 11-5.
Lander rallied in the bottom half of the eighth to tie the score at 11-11 following six runs on four hits, highlighted by a two-out, three-run homer to left field.
In the top of the ninth, the Patriots had two runners reach base on walks with one out. Sophomore pinch hitter
Adrian Nina delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle to reclaim the lead. Following a walk to load the bases, Vargas added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to left field, 13-11.
The Bearcats attempted to rally in the bottom of the ninth after their initial two batters reached base via a hit-by-pitch and an error. Buchan collected the first out following a caught stealing at third before Martinez Delgado struck out a batter on three pitches. A foul out down the left-field line to the shortstop sealed the road win.
Joshua Sanchez (2-3) of Lander suffered the loss on the mound.
