FLORENCE, SC – Junior catcher Jared Barkdoll homered, doubled, and drove in five runs, while junior third baseman Keon Graves collected four hits as 22nd-ranked Francis Marion University pounded Chowan University 18-2 in non-conference baseball action on a blustery Wednesday afternoon (March 19) at Cormell Field.

The squads split their two-game series.  Less than 20 hours after stranding 16 base runners in a 7-6 loss, FMU made the most of its season-high 20 hits, nine of which went for extra bases.

FMU improves to 21-10 and will travel to Columbus, Ga., for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series with 13th-ranked Columbus State University this Friday and Saturday.  Chowan (15-9) will host Pace University on Friday at 2 pm.

Among his four hits, Graves also homered and drove in two runs.  Shortstop Greg Phelps, center fielder Justin Greene, and first baseman Preston Shuey all collected three hits for FMU.  Shuey also had four RBIs.

Patriot freshman right-hander Ricky Kalgstein (1-1) made his fourth career start a successful one.  He recorded the staff’s second complete game of the season, while scattering six hits, striking out seven, and walking none.

Right fielder Nate Mitchell had a pair of hits for Chowan, including a two-run single to left in the top of the fourth inning.

Chowan starter Mark Peterson (1-3) allowed six earned runs in 3.1 innings.

FMU scored three times in the first inning on an RBI grounder by Barkdoll and a two-run single by Shuey.  The margin grew to four runs on Graves’ 350-foot home run to left in the third.  Mitchell’s hit trimmed the margin to 4-2, but FMU answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 7-2.  The Patriots then erupted for nine runs, on eight hits, in the fifth frame.