FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-6-03

College Baseball: No. 8 AASU 7-3, No. 26 Francis Marion 6-2 (10 inn.)

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Junior Brandon McKinnon’s single off the center field wall plated the winning run and gave No. 8-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader sweep of No. 26 Francis Marion, 7-6 and 3-2 in 10 innings, moving the Pirates into a tie for first place in the league standings.

McKinnon’s shot scored Michael Pelley, who had tripled to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning. After the Patriots (22-16, 13-9 PBC) intentionally walked two batters to load the bases, McKinnon’s one-out shot gave the Pirates (26-7, 10-5 PBC) the 3-2 win and made a winner out of freshman Brett Hart, who held FMU scoreless over five innings, giving up six hits and striking out three to improve to 2-1 on the year. Phil Padgett (5-5) went the distance for the Patriots, giving up nine hits and all three runs in 9 1/3 innings pitched to take the loss.

The first game saw the Pirates build a 6-1 lead in the first five innings, including a three-run fifth inning when junior Andrew Graham knocked a two-RBI single. Francis Marion struck back with three runs in the seventh inning, to close it to 6-4. The Pirates added an insurance run in the seventh on a single by Stacy Bennett, a sacrifice bunt by Graham and an RBI single by Michael Pelley. The insurance run would be important as the Patriots would score twice in the top of the ninth, but junior closer Zach Shelnutt got Wilson Burwell to fly out to left with the tying runner on second to end the game. The bunt by Graham was the Pirates’ sixth sacrifice bunt of the contest, tying an NCAA Division II record set by Northwest Missouri State on March 6, 2002, against Washburn.

Junior Jon Dobyns (8-1) picked up the win for the Pirates, hurling seven innings and giving up eight hits and four runs while striking out two. Erin Jones (7-4) took the loss for FMU, giving up all seven runs and 12 hits in seven innings pitched.

Jerry Honeycutt was the hitting star in the doubleheader for the Patriots with five hits and three doubles, while Pelley rapped out five hits for the Pirates.

AASU will next host Benedict in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 9, at 1:00 p.m. at Pirate Field.

- Pirates -