Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Francis Marion Patriots on Friday evening in a 20-13 final score.
The Warriors out hit the Patriots 17 to 16 in their fifth conference win of the season. Jarrett Whitley led the team with three hits. Cam Mitchem, Jarrett Whitley and Marty Grisso each homered in the game. Blayze Haddock and TJ Highsmith doubled. Of the 19 RBIs, catcher TJ Highsmith had four. Behind him, both Whitley and Grisso had three RBIs. Southern Wesleyan walked eight times and Jason Culley stole a base.
Alex Sweeney started on the mound and pitched two innings before Jaylen Morgan came in to pitch in relief. Morgan picked up the win as he pitched three innings and struck out two. Gehrig Schreiber, Eric Yelton and Bryce Metts followed on the mound. Schreiber struck out two and Metts picked up the remaining strikeout.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 20, Franics Marion 13
Records: Southern Wesleyan (7-38 / CC 5-20) Francis Marion (16-26 / CC 7-18)
How It Happened
The Patriots came out swinging as Oakley homered and then a double by Taylor brought in the second run in the top of the first inning. Francis Marion pushed on as they brought three more runs in to score in the top of the second.
The Warriors countered in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Zachary Kim singled to right field and then advanced to second base as Jason Culley laid down a bunt single. Luke Staton hit a single to center field to bring Kim in to score. However, an error on the play brought Culley around home plate to put Southern Wesleyan behind Francis Marion 5-2.
Francis Marion kicked off the third inning with a home run by Stout.
In the bottom of the third inning Southern Wesleyan fought back. Gage Shaver started the inning by hitting a single through the right side. Shaver advanced to second base as Jarrett Whitley singled to shortstop. Marty Grisso laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. With one out, TJ Highsmith hit a single up the middle to advance Whitley to third and bring Shaver in to score. A sacrifice fly out by Zachary Kim brought Whitley in to score and put the Warriors within two runs of the Patriots. Jason Culley walked and then Luke Staton singled to third base to load up the bases. Blayze Haddock stepped up to the plate and drilled the ball down the left field line to bring both Highsmith and Culley in to score to tie the game up at six runs apiece.
The Warriors took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. TJ Highsmith walked and then advanced to second when an error allowed Zachary Kim to take first base. However, Jason Culley hit into a fielder's choice that took Kim off the base pads. With runners on the corners, Luke Staton laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring Highsmith in to score and give Southern Wesleyan a 7-6 run advantage.
Southern Wesleyan extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Cam Mitchem and Jarrett Whitley each hit home runs over the left field fence.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Southern Wesleyan attacked the plate once again. With one out, Jason Culley laid down a bunt single. An error by the catcher allowed Culley to advance to third base. Back-to-back walks to Luke Staton and Blayze Haddock loaded up the bases for Cam Mitchem. Mitchem hit a single through the left side to bring Culley in to score. Gage Shaver followed and hit a single through the right side to bring Staton in to score and give the Warriors a five run lead. With the bases still loaded, Jarrett Whitley singled to left field to bring both Haddock and Mitchem in. Marty Grisso walked up to the plate and drilled the ball over the left field wall for a three run shot to extend the Warriors lead to 16-6.
The Patriots would not go down easily as they brought seven runs in to score in the top of the eighth inning to put them back within three.
However, the Warriors pushed on in the bottom of the eighth. Luke Staton walked and then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Blayze Haddock. An error on the play allowed Haddock to reach first. Cam Mitchem was hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Gage Shaver hit into a fielder's choice that took Mitchem off second, but allowed Haddock to take third and brought Staton in to score. The bases were loaded once again as Jarrett Whitley was hit by a pitch. With two outs, TJ Highsmith hit a double to left center field to clear the bases and give the Warriors a 20-13 run victory over the Patriots.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will wrap up the series against Francis Marion on April 20 at 1pm. They will celebrate their eleven seniors prior to the first pitch. The Warriors will wrap up the regular season on the road as they travel to Pembroke, NC to take on the UNC Pembroke Braves on April 26-27.
