Cobras Drop Game One to Patriots

FLORENCE, S.C. - The Coker University baseball team came up short in the first game of their weekend series against nearby rivals Francis Marion University on Saturday (Mar. 12) by a score of 10-4.

The Patriots took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning that would hold until the top of the third. The Cobras took advantage of miscues when Phill Griffor reached on an error by the Francis Marion shortstop and then scored on another error by the shortstop on a ball put in play by Ashby Vining to even the score at 1-1. The Patriots retook the lead and added on to make it 9-1 after seven innings of play.

Coker battled back in the eighth when Vining led off with a double, then scored on Kody Hanna's RBI single. Brady Jeffcoat singled and senior catcher Bryan Castillo doubled to bring home Hanna. The Cobras added another in the ninth behind back-to-back singles from Reilly Hall and Griffor, followed by a Vining sacrifice fly to score Hall. The effort would come up short by the 10-4 scoreline. 

The offensive effort was led by Phill Griffor's three hits. Ashby Vining, Brady Jeffcoat, and Jackson Williams all collected two hits on the afternoon, while Vining, Kody Hanna, and Bryan Castillo all had one run driven in. Senior Triston Fowler provided 4 ⅔ solid innings of work on the mound for the Cobras, allowing just one earned run and striking out six Patriot batters.

The Cobras wrap-up the weekend series against Francis Marion on Sunday (Mar. 13), as they travel to Florence for a doubleheader. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 pm, with live video and statistics available at www.cokercobras.com.