FLORENCE, S.C.- The Shorter Baseball team battled with #23 Francis Marion in their series-opening doubleheader, but unfortunately fell in both games. 

 

Game one featured an offensive explosion from the Patriots, as they scored three runs in the first, a bonus run in the second, and then they continued to chip in a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings to enter the seventh up 8-0. However, the Hawks had their own offensive flash with Michael Barron going yard for the second time this season, but with the bases loaded. He drove in Isaiah Sims, Brooks McKenna, and Drake Cobb in that grand slam, halving the Patriots' lead. Josh Tattershall then joined in on the fun with an RBI base hit to left that drove in Griffin Tammucci and advanced Micah Shipman to third. Wilmer Henriquez would then answer the call by sending Shipman across the plate with an RBI base knock up the middle, ending the seventh with the Hawks down 8-6. However, those would be the only runs scored by the Hawks in game one, as the Patriots continued to cash in insurance runs to take the first meeting in a 10-6 victory over Shorter. J.D. Wilkins started that game on the mound for Shorter, striking out five batters in five innings while only issuing two walks.
 

The Hawks showed life early in Game two, landing the first blow against the Patriots in the top of the second inning with an RBI single up the middle from Micah Shipman to drive in Isaiah Sims. However, the Patriots would tie it up in the very next inning after scoring on an error. Sure enough, Shorter would flip the score back in their favor in the fourth, with Wilmer Henriquez scoring on a fielder's choice to put the Hawks up 2-1. In the back half of the inning, though, the Patriots knotted the score back up with a solo homer to left-center. The Patriots kept on rolling after that, with an RBI single that scored two in the fifth, followed by another three runs in the sixth to take their second straight over Shorter, 7-2. Tanner Folds took the mound to start game two, going four innings with three strikeouts and eight walks. Colby Schachtner clocked in an inning of relief, collecting a punchout while issuing two walks. Evan Joiner closed things out on the mound for the Hawks, picking up a strikeout and zero earned runs to end the bottom of the sixth.



UP NEXT

The Hawks look to bounce back on Saturday and leave Florence with a win for their final game of the series against Francis Marion. Jay O'Neal will likely start that game for the Hawks, as he seeks his second win of the season. Game Three will start at 1:00 p.m. EST and will be streamed on the Conference Carolinas Digital Network.

 

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