MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Senior outfielder Nick Stewart had a pair of hits and drove in two runs and the Francis Marion University defense turned in a pair of key plays as the 27th-ranked Patriots downed 22nd-ranked Mount Olive College 5-3, Wednesday afternoon (March 7) in non-conference baseball action at Scarborough Field. The teams split their two-game series, and the loss ends a five-game winning streak for Mount Olive (17-7), which had won 12 of its last 13 games.

Francis Marion starter Cole McKellar (2-1) allowed one run in five innings to get the win, while Zach Farry pitched the final two innings for the save.   Stewart was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs, while Jared Barkdoll was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  Senior Michael Ward had a solo home run.

Francis Marion (13-7) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on Stewart’s RBI double and Barkdoll’s two-out RBI single. The Trojans answered with a run on the bottom of the first as David Cooper led off with a single and Stephen Nordan doubled to the right field fence. Cooper then scored on a fielder’s choice.

The score held at 2-1 until the top of the fourth when Ward extended Francis Marion’s lead to 3-1 with a leadoff homer. The Patriots took a 4-1 lead in the top of the sixth when Barkdoll doubled off the left field fence with one out and scored one out later on an infield error.

The Trojans loaded the bases with less than two outs in the fifth and sixth innings, but a pair of Francis Marion defensive plays helped the Patriots prevent Mount Olive from putting together a big inning.  Jason Sherrer singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Anthony Williams reached on an error and Cooper was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Patriot shortstop Greg Phelps made a leaping catch on Nordan’s line drive and doubled up Williams at second to end the inning.

The Trojans had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth, as Scott Houin and Erik Lovett both walked and Dustin Richardson reached on a bunt single. Josh Carter followed with a towering fly ball to left, but Josh Smith made a running catch at the fence, turning a potential bases-clearing hit into a sacrifice fly as Houin scored the Trojans’ only run of the inning to pull within 4-2.

Mount Olive pulled a run closer in the seventh as Cooper led off with a triple and scored on Nordan’s single to cut lead down to 4-3. Houin followed with a single up the middle and Nordan advanced to third on a fly out to put runners on first and third, but Francis Marion got out of the inning on a pop-up to the right side.

Francis Marion added an insurance run on the ninth, using a throwing error on an attempted force out and Stewart’s RBI single to left to give the Patriots a two-run cushion. The run was the first allowed this season by Trojan reliever Patrick Ball, but the unearned run keeps Ball’s earned run average at 0.00.  The Patriots threatened to break the game open, loading the bases with nobody out, but Ball struck out the next batter and Ted Pelech retired the two batters he faced on a strikeout and a pop out.

Cooper reached on an error with one out in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Nordan’s line drive to left was caught by Josh Smith and center fielder Justin Greene, who started the game in left, made a sliding catch on Houin’s fly ball to the gap in left-center to end the game.

Nordan went 3-for-5 for the Trojans, while Cooper was 2-for-4. Mount Olive had nine runners left on base, while Francis Marion stranded 11 runners. Each team had eight hits and committed three errors.

Trojan starter Phillip Pennington (2-1) took his first loss of the year, allowing three earned runs and striking out five in four innings pitched. Weston Curles allowed an unearned run in 1.2 innings pitched, while Darrell Ellis and Paul Buhrow combined for 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.

In the two-game series, the two teams used a combined 21 pitchers – 11 pitchers Wednesday and 10 in Tuesday’s series opener.

Francis Marion plays host to Wingate Thursday at 3 p.m. in a non-conference match-up.Mount Olive resumes Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference action as the Trojans head to Hartsville, S.C., for a three-game series at Coker. The two teams play a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon, then conclude the series with a single game Sunday.