FLORENCE, S.C. – The Barton baseball team (22-17, 15-9) came up just short to Francis Marion (24-20, 15-11), 2-1, Sunday afternoon in the final game of a Conference Carolinas weekend series at Sparrow Stadium.
The Patriots broke a one-all tie in the bottom of the eighth inning when Will Hardee (Evergreen, S.C.) drove in the game-winning run with a double with two outs.
Barton scored its lone run of the contest when junior designated hitter
Tanner Halvorson (Eau Claire, Wisc.) crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. The Bulldogs were limited to just three hits in the contest.
On the mound, the Patriots' Ben Thornton (Greer, S.C.) improved to 3-1 on the season after pitching one scoreless inning of relief while Josh Adams (Chesterfield, S.C.) pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save of the year. Barton senior
Brett Widerman (Wilmington, N.C.) (2-5) suffered the loss despite pitching into the eighth inning and allowing just two runs while striking out four batters.
Barton hits the road to take on Savannah State in Savannah, Ga., beginning at 4:00 p.m., on Tuesday while Francis Marion faces Lander in Greenwood, S.C., on Tuesday starting at 6:00 p.m.
