FLORENCE, S.C. – The Concord University baseball team lost a doubleheader to Francis Marion in the first games of the season for both teams at Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium Friday afternoon.
FMU won 13-5 and 4-1.
Game 1: Francis Marion 13 – Concord 5
The Mountain Lions scored the first run of the game, but were unable to rally after Francis Marion scored seven unanswered runs over its first three at-bats.
Senior infielder
Matthew DiSanti began the game with a single, and later in the inning came around to score on a second FMU error in the frame.
The Patriots responded with three runs in the bottom of the first, all with two outs, and then added four more runs in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead.
With the advantage still at six in the top of the sixth, CU cut into the margin. After reaching on an error in the outfield to begin the inning, sophomore outfielder
Atticus Goodson scored on an RBI single by junior infielder
Nick DiSanti. The Mountain Lions kept the momentum going in the seventh as M. DiSanti's sacrifice fly scored junior outfielder
Couper Stala.
With the score 8-3, Concord got a run back in the eighth on an RBI single from senior infielder
Tyson Burke.
Francis Marion plated five runs in the bottom of the eighth. The final run for CU came courtesy of an RBI base hit from senior catcher
Kaden Swaim.
N. DiSanti reached base three times, going 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.
Burke and senior outfielder
Korbin Bostic had two hits apiece at the bottom of the lineup.
Junior pitcher
Jake Robinson (0-1) was the pitcher of record as he allowed six earned runs in three innings. Freshman pitcher
Jonah Adams was stellar in his debut as he steadied the game with four innings of relief, allowing a run on two hits to go with two strikeouts.
Game 2: Francis Marion 4 – Concord 1
Both offenses were contained in game two as Francis Marion went up 2-0 in the first inning, and Concord could only scratch across a run.
Down 2-0 in the third inning, senior outfielder
Dawson Gragg began the rally by getting hit to lead off the inning. Gragg moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scampered to third on a wild pitch. With one out, he came in on an RBI single by Swaim.
FMU came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to three runs, 4-1.
Junior infielder
Alex Rodriguez led off the seventh with a single into right field, but the rally was put out by the Patriots.
Rodriguez and Swaim who was 2-for-3 in the contest combined for the Concord hits.
Sophomore pitcher
Kaden Varela-Payne (0-1) allowed four runs in four innings. He tallied three strikeouts. The trio of senior
Kerry Collins, freshman
Ethan Evans and junior
Ryder Wagenknecht combined to allow one hit in two innings. Each had one strikeout.
Concord is slated to host Ferrum at Anderson Field February 7-8 for a three-game series. Â
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