AUGUSTA, GA. – Fourth-seeded North Georgia College & State University pushed across two runs in each of the eighth and ninth innings to claim a 6-2 win over third-seeded Francis Marion University, Thursday afternoon (May 8) in an opening-round game of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament at Lake Olmstead Stadium.
FMU will take on top-seeded Columbus State University, Friday at 3 p.m. at USC Aiken’s Roberto Hernandez Stadium. The Cougars (40-15) hammered Armstrong Atlantic State 16-6 on Thursday. With the victory, North Georgia advances to face the USC Aiken/GCSU winner on Friday.
Four Patriots – Greg Phelps, Preston Shuey, Ryan Hypke and Chris Honeycutt -- recorded two hits each.
FMU’s Zane Petty (5-1), starting in place of junior righty David Walters who missed the game with an illness, suffered his first loss of the season. He allowed six hits and three runs – two earned – in seven innings of work with two strikeouts and a walk. Lefty Zach Ferry came on in relief of Petty in the eighth and was charged with five hits and three runs in two innings.
North Georgia senior right-hander Chris Curtis turned in a complete-game effort to improve to 9-2. He scattered 11 hits and surrendered two earned runs, recording nine strikeouts without a walk.
Saints’ sophomore second baseman Logan Sharrett went 4-for-5, while Josh Tate drove in two runs while Sharrett and Daniel Pettitti each scored a pair of runs.
Trailing 2-0 after five frames, Francis Marion (32-19) rallied to tie the game at 2-2. The first tally came in the sixth on an RBI single by Shuey and the tying run came across on an RBI single to left by Phelps in the seventh.
The Saints immediately answered with two runs in the top of the eighth. Sharrett slapped a leadoff double to right, and after Ferry took over for Petty, Andre Airich singled up the middle to plate Sharrett. Josh Tate then flied out to deep left-center on a tremendous sliding catch by the Patriots’ Justin Greene, but Sharrett scampered home all the way from second base on the out.
NGCSU tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on an RBI-double by Craig Brisson and an RBI-single to right from Sharrett.
