GREENWOOD – The No. 30-ranked Lander baseball team knew it had a tough opponent Saturday when it opened its three-game Peach Belt Conference series with No. 20 Francis Marion. After all, it was Francis Marion which defeated No.9-ranked and two-time defending NCAA Division I national champion University of South Carolina on Wednesday night.
The Patriots kept their momentum going with one run in the fifth inning and four more in the eighth to claim a 5-2 victory over the Bearcats at Dolny Stadium.
Francis Marion improves to 28-13 overall and 15-9 in the PBC, while Lander moves to 28-13, 13-9. The series will conclude Sunday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
FMU's Spencer Jordan (7-3) was awarded the win on the mound after striking out 10, walking one and ed the wnd allowing three hits in seven innings pitched.
Lander's Todd Hughson (2-2) suffered the loss, striking out seven, walking two and allowing four earned runs on eight hits in 7.1 innings.
The Patriots jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Tyler Boyd's RBI single that plated Luke Tollison.
FMU stretched the lead to 5-0 in the eighth inning. Stephen Tarkenton's RBI double drove in Boyd and Buddy Sosnoskie, Jarrod Reed singled in Tarkenton, and Brock McCallister scored on a wild pitch.
The Bearcats came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning when pinch hitter Aaron Poole reached on a throwing error, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Erik Lunde's RBI double. Lunde later scored on Patrick Grady's RBI single to right field.
For Lander, Lunde batted 2-for-3 with one double and Ian Harvey went 2-for-4.
For FMU,Tollison went 3-for-4 and Boyd 2-for-4.
