AIKEN, S.C. --- Junior left-hander Josh
Edgin tossed a two-hit shutout to give seventh-ranked and
second-seeded Francis Marion University a 5-0 win over 30th-ranked
and fifth-seeded Tusculum College, Thursday afternoon in the
opening round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Baseball
Championship.
Francis Marion improves to 37-13-1 with its 16th straight win and
advances to face 21st-ranked and fourth-seeded Catawba College on
Friday at 7 p.m. Catawba beat Georgia College & State
University 7-5 in Thursday's opener. Tusculum (36-17) will face the
USC Aiken/Belmont Abbey College loser on Friday at 11 a.m.
Edgin (4-2) retired 13 consecutive batters through the middle
innings, while the Patriots dented the scoreboard against Tusculum
starter Max Keleher. FMU scored three times in the fourth and twice
in the fifth. Edgin struck out six and walked only one batter in
tossing his second complete game of the season. He needed only 94
pitches in the game that lasted just over two hours.
He allowed singles in the third and seventh innings and no Pioneer
runner reached third base. Including his streak in the middle
innings, he retired 21 of the final 22 Tusculum batters.
"You just have to tip your hat to (Josh) Edgin," said Tusculum
coach Doug Jones. "The game he threw and the command he showed for
the entire game was impressive. I think that was the difference in
the game. When we had an opportunity to get a guy in scoring
position, we popped up and wasted those opportunities. The
difference was the command and the job he (Edgin) did."
FMU junior outfielders Martin Gordon and Alex Lee were both
2-for-4 at the top of the FMU lineup, while freshman left fielder
Tyler Boyd was 2-for-4 in the No.9 spot.
In the fourth inning, Patriot catcher Jared Barkdoll walked to
lead off the inning. Following an infield error and a sacrifice
bunt, FMU had runners on second and third. Sophomore first baseman
Preston Shuey plated the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to
right center field. Jacob Wallace scored Francis Marion's second
run when he scored from second on a single through the right side
by Josh Biggers. On the play, the throw from Tusculum right fielder
Jared Richmond beat Wallace to the plate, but Tusculum catcher Sean
Finucane dropped the ball when Wallace collided with him at the
plate. Biggers scored the third run on a RBI double down the left
field line by Boyd.
The Patriots tallied a pair of runs in the fifth to lead 5-0. Lee
dropped a double onto the left field line to lead off the frame.
One batter later, he scored on a hit-and-run single through the
left side by Barkdoll. Kleinknecht scored the second run on an RBI
fielder's choice grounder by Wallace.
Richmond and second baseman Payden Houser had the two Tusculum
hits. Keleher (7-3) was tagged with the loss as he allowed seven
hits and the five runs, although only one of the runs was earned.
Reliever Michael Franklin kept Tusculum in the game as he pitched
fourth innings of two-hit, shutout relief.
"I thought Max battled really well early in the game," Jones
added. "The only issue I had with him was the lead off walk to
start the fourth inning, but that was the only thing negative I had
with him, and we couldn't make a couple plays behind him, and good
teams like Francis Marion take advantage of that. "He (Keleher)
gave us a chance, as did Michael who came in and gave us a chance
to get things going offensively."
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