FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University took advantage of six Young Harris College errors to record a 10-3 Peach Belt Conference baseball decision Thursday (May 1) evening at Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium.

The Patriot earned a berth in next week's conference tournament with the win as they improve to 26-20 overall and 11-16 in the Peach Belt while the Mountain Lions fell to 24-24 and to 12-16. The two teams wrap up their three-game series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader Friday (May 2).

FMU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a fielder's choice by Cole Morris off YHC starter Justin Cooper (4-6). The Patriots added four runs – three of them unearned - in the fourth before Young Harris got a run in the fifth inning on Josh Rudnik's sacrifice fly to right field. 

Young Harris got two more runs in the sixth to close to within 5-3. Jack Morrow led off the inning against FMU starter Jordy Santak (5-5) with his team-leading 10th homer of the season and Trey Rogers added a RBI single to left field.  Young Harris had the tying runs on base with two outs in the inning, but reliever Jeffrey Stoner wiggled Francis Marion out of further harm when he got Zach Odom to strike out to quell the threat.

Stoner retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced, including six by strikeout to earn his seventh save of the season.  The only batter to reach against him was Dom Wyshinski when Stoner threw wildly to first on a come-backer to the mound in the eighth inning.

FMU broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with three runs, including a two-run single through the right side by Luke Tollison.  FMU added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to take a 10-3 lead.

Zac Lenns, Wilson, Tollison, and Casey Gebhardt all recorded two hits each for the Patriots. Morrow led the Mountain Lions with two hits.