Box Score FLORENCE, S.C. – The King University baseball team opened their season on Friday afternoon at Francis Marion University, and the home-standing Patriots came away with the victory. Francis Marion tallied five runs in the first three innings to grab the lead, taking the contest 10-1.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Francis Marion 10, King 1
LOCATION: Sparrow Field, Florence, S.C.
RECORDS: King 0-1; Francis Marion 3-0
TIME OF GAME: 2:46
King Starting Lineup
1. Nicolas Keister – CF
2. Braden Cook – 2B
3. Preston Douglas - RF
4. Mark Hencken – C
5. Austin Dayton – DH
6. Mark Michael – 3B
7. Dylan Sligh – 1B
8. Josh Stephens - LF
9. J.P. Castaneda – SS
Starting Pitcher: RHP Mark Hendricks
Francis Marion Starting Lineup
1. Tad Martin – 3B
2. Casey Clauss – LF
3. JD Crowe – RF
4. Randy Loew – 1B
5. Logan Koch – C
6. Zach Paquette – DH
7. Cole Morris – 2B
8. Zach Callahan – SS
9. Shuler Ward – CF
Starting Pitcher: LHP Matt Kelley
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- In his first game for the Tornado, Sligh led King with two hits, going 2-for-4.
- Cook went 1-for-3 and scored King's lone run in the eighth inning on a Dayton sacrifice fly.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Francis Marion got on the board early with a pair of sacrifice flies in the first inning.
- The Patriots added three more in the third inning, the first on a Paquette single and two on a Morris double to left center.
- In the third the Patriots plated two more runs, both coming on a Crowe double down the right field line.
- King threatened in the sixth inning, registering three hits, but Kelley held the Tornado off the scoreboard, stranding a pair of runners.
- Cook walked to start the eighth and later advanced to third on a Hencken hit by pitch before scoring on a Dayton sacrifice fly.
- However, the Patriots scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth, as Crowe scored one with a single and Paquette drove in another with a fielder's choice.
- Conner Pate tossed the final two innings, and was the beneficiary of a double play in the ninth, giving Francis Marion the 10-1 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- The top three batters in the Patriot lineup accounted for seven runs scored, including three from Martin and two from Clauss.
- Crowe paced the Patriots, going 3-for5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.
- Paquette and Morris both went 2-for-5 with two runs batted in.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Kelly (1-0): 7.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Losing Pitcher: Hendricks (0-1): 3.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
UP NEXT
- King takes on Augusta University in a doubleheader on Saturday at Francis Marion. First pitch is slated for 10:00 a.m.
- The Patriots host a doubleheader against Claflin University tomorrow afternoon.
