Patriots breeze past King Tornado 12-2
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FLORENCE, SC- Sixth-ranked Francis Marion University scored 10 runs between the fifth and seventh innings to cruise to a 12-2 win over King College on the final day of the Auddie Brown Baseball Classic, Sunday afternoon (Feb. 12) at Cormell Field in Florence, SC.
The Patriots improve to 4-2 and will play host to Belmont-Abbey College on Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Junior right-hander Gary Ashcraft (2-0) picked up the win for FMU. Ashcraft worked five innings, giving up four hits and striking out four, before giving way to sophomore Jeffrey Stoner. Stoner worked three innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven hitters while walking none. Chandler worked a perfect ninth inning striking out the side.
At the plate, FMU was led by junior first baseman Stephen Tarkenton's 2-4 day at the plate with three RBIs. Chandler, junior catcher Jacob Golliday, and junior infielder Tyler Hibbs also had multi-hit games for the Patriots: Golliday 2-for-4, Chandler 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Hibbs 2-for-2 with an RBI.
The Patriots took the lead 1-0 in the second inning when Chandler doubled into left center field plating Tarkenton. King (1-5) took the lead in the top of the third inning on a Cody Snyder base hit to right field, giving the Tornado a 2-1 advantage. FMU answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the third to knot the score at 2-2.
The teams played even until the bottom of the fifth when FMU took the lead for good on an RBI single to right by senior Brock McCallister scoring junior outfielder Jarrod Reed. The Patriots would hang three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, before adding four more to their total in the bottom of the seventh.
McCallister ended the day with a pair of runs batted in, while sophomore Michael Wilson and seniors Buddy Sosnoskie and Tyler Boyd also had one RBI apiece.
Senior righty Danny Laperna (0-1) was tagged with the loss. Snyder has two of the Tornado's five hits.
