AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team dropped a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader against Francis Marion University on Sunday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium. FMU scored the final three runs of the opener to win, 3-1, and rattled off eight of the final nine runs of the nightcap to complete the sweep in 11 innings, 16-13.
GSW's record stands at 13-33 this spring and 4-25 in the PBC heading into Monday's series finale with Francis Marion (27-17, 15-12 PBC) at 1 p.m.
The Hurricanes honored their two seniors, Josh Tatnall and Lance Shelton, before the start of play on Sunday.
GAME 1: FRANCIS MARION 3, GSW 1
The fifth inning proved to be the difference for Francis Marion in the opener.
Brett Burgess singled home Evan Alderman in the third inning to give GSW an early 1-0 advantage.
FMU loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth and tied the game with a Casey Clauss sacrifice fly. With runners on second and third following a wild pitch, Randy Loew delivered the game-winning shot with a single up the middle to score two runs.
That's all the help Patriots starter Matt Kelley (7-3) would need. Kelley went the distance, held GSW to four hits and recorded 15 strikeouts.
Loew, Matt Rubino and Shuler Ward led FMU batters with two hits apiece.
GSW starting pitcher Earl Dupree (1-8) suffered the tough-luck loss. Dupree had the one rough inning Sunday. He finished with 7 1/3 innings on the mound, allowed nine hits, three runs, walked one and struck out seven. In eight of Dupree's 12 starts this spring, the Hurricanes have been held to two or less runs, including three shutouts. Coty Graham tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in the opener.
Burgess went 2-for-4 to lead the Hurricanes at the plate.
GAME 2: FRANCIS MARION 16, GSW 13 (11 inn.)
The Hurricanes held a four-run lead on two separate occasions in the nightcap, but FMU scored eight of the final nine runs to win the 4-hour and 40-minute, 11-inning marathon and complete the doubleheader sweep.
GSW went ahead 7-3 in the fourth inning after posting a five-run frame highlighted by an Evan Alderman two-run double.
With three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth, the Patriots regained the lead, 8-7.
The Hurricanes answered with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Paul Sorrow smacked a two-out, two-run double and scored on the very next play off a double by Zach Barron.
GSW took the whole back-to-back extra base hits thing a little further in the seventh when Dakota Long and Devyn Newberry launched consecutive solo home runs to open the frame, giving the Hurricanes a 12-8 lead.
FMU cut the lead to two in the eighth before Nicholas McGee delivered a RBI double to center and Cole Morris singled deep in the hole behind second base to score two and put the Patriots back on top, 13-12.
The Hurricane fought back once again by pushing across a run in the bottom half of the eighth with a RBI single from Newberry.
The game-winning hit came from Matt Rubino in the 11th, a two-run triple off the wall in right field. Rubino later scored on a wild pitch.
Rubino, McGee and Casey Clauss tallied three hits apiece for the Patriots in the nightcap. Rubino finished with two doubles, a triple and six RBIs. Cole Morris drove in three.
Brett Burgess had three hits for the Hurricanes. Long, Newberry, Sorrow and Evan Alderman added two hits and two RBIs apiece.
FMU used six pitchers in Game 2. Jordy Santak (4-3) kept GSW off the board for the final three frames to get the win. Starter Ryan Manore lasted three innings, allowed three earned runs and five hits.
Starter Lance Shelton went five innings for the Hurricanes in his final collegiate start. Shelton allowed three earned runs and five hits while walking two and striking out four. GSW used five pitchers. Michael Ranieri did not allow an earned run during his two innings on the hill. Kyle Romstadt threw 2/3 of an inning before being relieved by Jordan McIlwain (0-5), who threw 2 2/3 innings, allowed three runs and three hits, walked three and struck out three. Matthew Hubbard was called upon to record the final two outs.
