FLORENCE, S.C. – Anthony Burke scattered four runs in a complete-game effort and a three-run home run in the eighth inning from Luke Jackson powered the 24^th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team to an 8-4 series-opening win over the Francis Marion Patriots on Friday night at Sparrow Stadium in Florence.
 
The victory was the third for the Braves (24-9, 9-9 PBC) in their last four Peach Belt Conference games and snapped a five-game skid for UNCP in road PBC contests. Burke (5-2) tallied his third complete game of his season and fifth of his UNCP career. None of the runs off of the Braves starting pitcher came earned Friday night, and the senior hurler mixed in five strikeouts while only walking one batter.

The Patriots (13-24, 5-17 PBC) dropped their seventh-consecutive PBC matchup of the season and their fifth-straight in the all-time series with UNCP.
 
Jackson hit the Braves momentum-shifting three-run home run in the eighth inning when UNCP trailed 4-2. The blast to left field was his eighth home run of the season and second dinger in as many games, marking the first time in his UNCP career that he has hit home runs in back-to-back games.

The homer was part of a 2-for-4 night for Jackson, and three other Braves joined him with multi-hit performances as Trevor Clemons, Roberto Rivera, and Trey Jacobs also collected two hits apiece for UNCP. Jacobs hit his fifth home run of the season as well — a solo blast to start the Braves scoring in the fourth.
 
Francis Marion only mustered six hits against Burke, and no Patriots finished with more than a single hit. FMU starter Evan Flynn gave up four runs on five hits over seven innings, but his bullpen faltered late, surrendering an additional four runs in the loss. Christian Umphlett (3-4) tried to control the damage for the Patriots in the eighth, but ended up surrendering the go-ahead home run. 

Flynn held the Braves scoreless in each of the first three innings, while Burke gave up his first run in the third after a passed ball allowed a runner to third base for an RBI groundout. UNCP answered in the top of the fourth with Jacobs' lead-off solo home run to right center field.

UNCP scratched another run in the fifth to take its first lead via a Clemons RBI single through the left side. Burke continued to roll through the middle innings and set down seven-consecutive Patriots before a one-out error in the sixth kindled a three-run scoring frame for FMU. A triple, sacrifice fly, and double put the Patriots up 4-2 into the seventh. 

The score held until Jackson gave the Braves the lead back for good via his eighth-inning home run. UNCP piled on three insurance runs in the ninth on Clemons' second RBI single of the night and a two-run error by the Patriot's third baseman. 

Burke shut the door in the home half by retiring the side and punching out a pair of FMU batters, including the game's final hitter, to secure the series-opening victory.
 
Impending rain has moved the middle game of the series at Francis Marion to Sunday. The series concludes at Sparrow Stadium with game one of the double header slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. Game two will immediately follow.