Recap | Boxscore
#12 Patriots win home opener 4-2
FLORENCE, SC - Francis Marion University scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to snap a 2-2 tie and the 12th-ranked Patriots went on to claim a 4-2 win over Erskine College, Saturday afternoon (Feb. 6) in the Patriots' 2010 home opener.
FMU avenges a 6-3 loss at Erskine on Thursday to even its mark at 1-1, while the Flying Fleet suffer their first loss of the season after three victories.
Senior left-hander Jeremiah Meiners (1-0) pitched two scoreless frames - the seventh and eighth innings-- to earn the win, while senior righty Brandon Forshee struck out the side in the ninth to register his first save of 2010.
Erskine starter Russell Reid (1-1) was tagged with the loss, although the unearned runs in the seventh were his undoing.
Senior shortstop Barrett Kleinknecht was the lone Patriot with multiple hits as he went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in. Three Flying Fleet hurlers limited FMU to only five hits.
First baseman John Bolding was 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI for Erskine, while designated hitter Drew Willingham was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
FMU took a 1-0 lead in the second frame when Alex Lee walked, advanced to third on a single by Preston Shuey, and continued home when the throw from the left fielder was high. The Patriots doubled their lead to 2-0 on an RBI-double to left center by Kleinknecht in the fifth inning.
Erskine tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the six as Bolding drilled a solo home run to left field and Brian Laznik then walked and came around to score on an RBI-double by Willingham.
The decisive two runs for FMU came with one out in the seventh inning. Catcher Logan Bland was hit by a pitch to open the frame and after being sacrificed to second base, he scored on an infield error on a ball hit by Martin Gordon. Gordon then stole second base and moved to third on a single by Tyler Boyd. Kleinknecht then accounted for the final run with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Francis Marion will play host to Newberry College on Tuesday at 3 p.m., while Erskine entertains 27th-ranked Georgia College & State University on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
#12 Francis Marion Univ. 4, Erskine College 2 (Feb 06, 2010 at Florence, SC) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Erskine College..... 000 002 000 - 2 9 4 (3-1) Francis Marion Univ. 010 010 20X - 4 5 0 (1-1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Erskine College - Russell Reid; Tyler Jones(7); Andrew Guest(8). Francis Marion Univ. - Zane Petty; Patrick Mincey(5); Jeremiah Meiners(7); Brandon Forshee(9). Win-Jeremiah Meiners (1-0) Save-Brandon Forshee (1) Loss-Russell Reid (1-1) T-2:24 A-50 HR EC - John Bolding (2).
