LAURINBURG, NC — Junior first baseman Greg Wrape belted a bases loaded, two-out single to right-center field in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored Marc Hammonds and Anthony Mehling with the tying and winning runs as St. Andrews Presbyterian College  defeated ninth-ranked Francis Marion University 6-5, Tuesday afternoon (March 29) in non-conference baseball action at Clark Field.

The Knights, who have won 11 of its last 12 games, improved to 23-14 while the Patriots have dropped three straight and hold a 21-10-1 mark.

SAPC jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With the bases full, Will Clark singled to score Brad Smith.  Sophomore catcher Cliff Allred followed with a single in the right field gap that plated Mehling and Wrape.  Francis Marion cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third on an RBI single by Quentin Davis that drove in Omar Quiles and an ensuing fielding error that allowed Jason Weaver to cross the plate.  Davis put the Patriots on top 4-3 with his fourth homer of the season, a two-run blast to right field in the fifth.

Smith knotted everything at 4-4 with a single in the bottom of the fifth that scored Hammonds, who had led off the inning with a double.

FMU regained a one-run lead in the seventh as Brian McFadden led off with a triple to right-center and Stan Markle followed with a single up the middle that drove in McFadden.

Patriot lefty Lee Tabor (6-3) came in for the two-inning save and retired the Knights without allowing a hit in the eighth. However, after striking out the first batter of the ninth, Hammonds ripped a double to start the St. Andrews rally.  Tabor still looked in control by striking out the next batter, but then allowed two consecutive walks to Mehling and Everett Kelly. Wrape fell behind 0-2 before ripping the game-winning single over the second baseman's reach that brought home Hammonds and Mehling.

Junior Scott Adams threw a 121-pitch complete game to remain perfect at 6-0 for St. Andrews.

The Patriots visit Limestone on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m.