NEWBERRY, S.C. - Despite recording only three hits and striking out 14 times, 24th-ranked Francis Marion University escaped with a 3-2 non-conference win over Newberry College, Tuesday evening (Feb. 5) spoiling the opening of Newberry's new Smith Road Complex.  After 1,022 days without a baseball game on the campus of Newberry, what had once been only a dream became a reality, as the Indians hosted the first game on campus since April of 2005, but a three-run sixth inning by FMU dampened the atmosphere.  FMU improves to 3-1, while Newberry drops to 1-3.

Newberry starter Josh McElwee plunked FMU right fielder Trent Knight to begin the top of the sixth, and was then pulled. Senior Brandon Petty (0-2) entered the game, but struggled to find the strike zone, walking three straight batters, with Knight scoring on his final base on balls to Jared Barkdoll.  Gary Hersey forced Patriot designated hitter Bryan Brown to fly out, but the runner on third was able to score on the sacrifice to tie the game. Third baseman Keon Graves then doubled to left to give the Patriots a 3-2 lead.

After McElwee hit leadoff batter Greg Phelps on just the second pitch of the game, the freshman calmed down and made his first collegiate start a spectacular one by striking out 10 of the 18 batters he faced. McElwee pitched five innings of no-hit baseball.  McElwee had ended the top of the first by striking out FMU's Bryan Brown and kept the strikeouts coming, striking out seven of eight batters, including five consecutive Patriot punch outs from the second to the fourth inning.

Newberry took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Tyler Manasa walked, moved to third on a single to right field by Nick Martin, and scored on a fielder's choice by first baseman David Tunstill. 

The Indians extended their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth. John Kirkland led off with what appeared to be a routine fly out, but the Patriot left fielder was unable to corral the ball, and Kirkland hustled to second on the error. After a fly out to right center, Casio Grider smacked an RBI double to left.

Newberry had chances to push across the tying run in the sixth and seventh innings, as the Indians had runners in scoring position with one out in both frames. But two bases-loaded outs in the sixth and an inning-ending double play in the seventh stranded four Indians on base in those two innings.  Sophomore Cory Deering (1-0) was the beneficiary of the three-run sixth frame, while senior lefty Zach Farry earned his second save of the season for FMU, allowing no base runners in his two innings of work.

The night had been dubbed "City of Newberry Night," with a fireworks show following the game, and the Newberry community did not disappoint. The attendance of 943 fans was the largest recorded crowd in Newberry baseball history, as well as being 49 fans over the highest single-season average in Division II history.

FMU plays host to the third-annual Swamp Fox Challenge this week, beginning with a contest against Coker College on Thursday at 3 p.m.