Monday, April 3, 2006

SAINTS OUTLAST FMU 9-8 IN 11 INNINGS

Florence, SC – Center fielder Dusty Tate tripled home a run and later scored on a ground out by Justin Wheeler in the 11th inning to give North Georgia College & State University a 9-8 win over 13th-ranked Francis Marion University, Sunday afternoon in the final game of a three-game Peach Belt Conference baseball series.

North Georgia ups its overall record to 21-18 and PBC mark to 3-9, while Francis Marion is now 24-11 and 9-6.

First baseman Andy Howes paced the Patriots with a 4-for-4 afternoon that included a run scored and one run batted in. Derek Kennamer, Taylor Norfleet, Alex Blake, and Omar Quiles all had two hits for FMU, while Kennamer and Jason Weaver each drove in two runs.

Senior Kyle Potts (1-1) got the win for the Saints, although he gave up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning and one run in the last of the 11th.

NGCSU shortstop Anders Oster was 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored, and one RBI. Each of the first four batters in the Saints' line-up – Brian Lauderdale, Jake Barrow, Justin Rickett, and Erik Good – all had two hits apiece with a run batted in.

Sophomore left-hander Craig Schneider (1-1), the final of six Patriot hurlers, took the loss.

North Georgia rallied from a 5-3 deficit with four runs in the top of the seventh, but FMU answered with Quiles' RBI single in the bottom of the frame to trail 7-6. The Patriots forced extra innings when Howes singled home pinch runner Brent Johnson with two outs in the ninth.

Oster doubled to open the 11th inning, and following a ground out, Tate tripled him home. One batter later, Wheeler grounded out to second base while Tate scored. FMU got one run back in the bottom of the 11th when Quiles scored on a fielder's choice by Kennamer, but Potts fanned Weaver and got Nick Stewart to fly out to strand runners on first and third.

Box Score

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