MURFREESBORO, N.C. - The Chowan University baseball team dropped their season opening Conference Carolinas game to Francis Marion University on Friday afternoon. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead after a three run homerun by KJ Durand, Jr. in the bottom of the first inning. The Patriots capped off the 5th inning with seven runs to overtake the Hawks and get an eventual 22-7 win.
Ty Boze stayed hot at the plate, collecting two hits in three at-bats.Chowan falls to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in league play while the Patriots improve their record to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
THE BASICS
FINAL GAME 1 | Chowan 7, Francis Marion 22
RECORDS | Chowan 0-4 (0-1), Francis Marion 7-1 (1-0)
LOCATION |Murfreesboro, N.C. (Hawkins Field)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Chowan's Teray Cherry got the start on the mound for the Hawks. Cherry pitched effectively through four innings before being relieved in the 5th inning. Cherry got some insurance from his offense after Durand's three run bomb in the bottom of the 1st inning. Josh Tripp drove in Peyton Clay in the bottom of the second inning to spread the lead to 4-0. Cherry held the Patriots off through two at-bats before FMU bounced back with a three run 3rd inning to cut into the Hawks lead 4-3. Tripp and Jacob Walker picked up RBI singles in the bottom of the 3rd to spread the Hawks lead to 6-3 through three innings. The Patriots went on to score 11 runs in their next two at-bats, and another eight runs over the final three innings to come away with the 22-7 win over the homesteading Hawks.
Boze and Tripp had multiple hits after going 2-3 at the plate. Peyton Clay, Nick Reiss, Durand, and Walker each added a hit in the game.
Cherry picked up the loss on the mound after tossing 4 innings. He gave up seven earned runs and struck out two batters in the game. Ethan Pukas saw 2.0 innings in relief, giving up seven earned runs and scattering six hits. Dawson Wiggins pitched the final three innings, striking out four batters and giving up two earned runs.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will host the Patriots in the final two games of the Conference Carolinas series on Saturday, February 14th, 2026. First pitch is slated for 11:00am at Hawkins Field. Tomorrow's doubleheader will feature a nine inning game followed by a seven inning game.