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FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion rallied back from an early 5-0 deficit and took the lead for good on Isaac Davenport's walk-off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Patriots claimed a 9-8 victory over the 15th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team in the series opener on Friday evening at Sammy Cox Field.

The setback marked just the second loss of the season for the Braves (28-13, 13-9 PBC) when scoring seven or more runs in a game. The Patriots (22-17, 8-13) have now won their last four games, and five of their last six.

Dalton Knight walked, doubled and scored once to key a 3-for-4 night at the plate, while Daniel Fraga and Drew Cole both turned in 2-for-5 showings for the visitors. Curry doubled, stole a pair of bases and scored twice on a 4-for-5 night to lead the Patriots.

Zach Andrews (2-5) took the tough-luck loss for the Braves despite yielding just two hits and a lone earned run in the decisive ninth. Closer Jeffrey Stoner (2-2) picked up the win for FMU with three solid innings of relief that saw him surrender just three hits and a lone unearned run. He also struck out two.

UNCP scored five runs in the first two innings to grab the early momentum, but the Patriots tacked up four of their own in the bottom of the second to get back into the game. The Braves padded their lead back to a trio of runs, 7-4, with two more scores in the third, but Francis Marion got a sac fly from Brett Fulmer in the fifth, and then knotted the score up with two more runs in the sixth.

Michael Wilson led off the bottom of the eighth with a bunt single, and moved into scoring position seconds later on the heels of a sac bunt from Luke Tollison. UNCP reliever Jordan DeLoatch induced a fly out to take some of the pressure off, but Curry used the fortunes of a bad hop on a routine infield knock to bring home the go-ahead run.

Trailing 8-7, the Braves used a hit and a pair of ill-timed errors by the FMU defense to load the bases with their first four at-bats in the ninth. Stoner struck out Brett Huffman on seven pitches to register the second out of the frame, but Victor Zecca tied the score back up when he ripped a 2-and-2 offering into centerfield.

Fulmer singled to lead off the bottom of the frame for the hosts, and then moved into scoring position on Nicholas McGee's sac hit with the next at-bat. 

The squads will continue their series with a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday at Sparrow Field. Sunday's series finale is set for 2 p.m. as well.