FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University freshman right-hander Dylan Owen continued his hot pitching as he tossed a seven-hitter leading the 10th-ranked Patriots to a 4-3 victory over fifth-ranked University of North Florida in the opening game of Friday's (March 25) Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader. The Ospreys earned a split with a 2-1 game-two win as Jon Skorupski singled home the winning run in the top of the sixth inning.
FMU has its overall record move to 21-8-1, while UNF is now 22-9. Both teams remained virtually tied in the PBC standings: FMU at 11-8-1 and North Florida at 8-6. The game-two loss was only the 13th loss for Francis Marion in its last 75 home games.
The two squads will conclude their three-game series with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m. During Saturday's contest, FMU will honor and recognize members of the 413th Chemical Company of the U.S. Army Reserves. All members of the unit, which has participated overseas in the country's War on Terror, and their family members will be admitted free on Saturday.
In Friday's game one, Owen improved to 4-1 as he struck out eight and walked only one. UNF starter Ryan Amason (3-1) was the recipient of some tough luck and shoddy Osprey fielding (five errors). Only one of the four runs he allowed was earned.
Francis Marion played very small ball, as only four of the Patriots' nine hits left the infield. In the opening frame, the Patriots tallied three unearned runs. FMU loaded the bases with its first three batters, via two errors and one bloop single. First baseman Luke Ogletree drove home the first run with an infield single, and following a pair of strikeouts, designated hitter Bert Rollins plated two runs with a line-drive single to right center field.
UNF chipped away at the lead with single runs in the second, fourth, and sixth innings. Kevin Johnson hit a sacrifice fly in the second, Josh Howard stroked an RBI single in the fourth, and Marion Knowles knotted the score at 3-3 with a solo home run, his eighth roundtripper of the year, with one out in the sixth.
FMU third baseman Brian McFadden opened the bottom of the seventh with a flair into left field. Justin Greene and Omar Quiles both followed with infield singles, loading the bases with no outs. Junior shortstop Jason Weaver followed with an infield single to first base, plating McFadden with the eventual winning run. Weaver (2-4) and Greene (2-3) led the Patriots at the plate with multiple hits.
Knowles and Howard both finished the game two-for-four to lead the Ospreys.
In game two, UNF took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third frame. Third baseman Grant Rogers reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Weaver. A successful sacrifice bunt moved Rogers to third where he scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Brennan Grogan. FMU tied the score at 1-1 in the fifth inning when Danny Mattonelli drew a two-out bases-loaded walk, forcing home Quiles.
The Ospreys answered back with the winning run in the top of the sixth. Grogan reached on a bunt single, advanced to second on a balk by FMU lefty Lee Tabor (6-2), and went to third on a foul out along the right field line. Skorupski then drilled the first pitch he saw into center field for the game-winning RBI.
UNF reliever Josh Papelbon recorded the final nine outs, allowing only one hits for his third win in four decisions. Skorupski (2-3) and Rogers (2-2) were the only Ospreys with more than one hit in the second game, while Weaver (2-3) and Rollins (2-2) led FMU.
