FLORENCE, S.C. - Coker College won a marathon final game on Sunday evening to help the Carolinas/Virginia Athletic Conference avoid a sweep as the Peach Belt Conference won eight of nine games at the inaugural Peach Belt/CVAC Baseball Challenge, hosted by Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C.

Juniors Ryan Schaeffer and T.J. Dawson delivered two-out run-scoring singles in the top of the 12th inning to give Coker College a bone-chilling 4-2 win over 17th-ranked Francis Marion University, Sunday evening (Feb. 19) in the final game of the Peach Belt/CVAC Baseball Challenge, hosted by FMU.

The victory was lone win for a CVAC school in the nine-game event. Sunday night’s contest lasted 4-hours and one minute and ended with temperatures in the upper 30’s.

Coker (5-3-1) stranded 12 base runners, while Francis Marion (7-3) left 14 runners on base, included the bases loaded in the last of the 12th frame.

Schaeffer finished the game 2-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Dawson was 2-for-5. Senior right-hander Stephen Dill (2-0) pitched the final 5.2 innings to earn the win, throwing 87 pitches in relief.

Freshman Taylor Norfleet (3-for-6) and junior Nick Stewart (2-for-5) led the Patriot hitting attack. FMU junior righty Brooks Sinquefield (0-1) was tagged with the loss.

Francis Marion took a 2-0 advantage when leadoff batter Derek Kennamer scored on a passed ball in the first inning and then scored again in the fifth on an RBI double by Justin Greene. Greene extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

The Cobras tied the score at 2-2 in the sixth when Schaeffer drilled an RBI triple to right field, and then scored on a run-scoring single by designated hitter Mike Pitkewicz.

After Coker took the 4-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning, Dill fanned FMU senior Stan Markle with the three runners on to end the game.

Coker hosts St. Augustine at Tom J. New Field on Tuesday at 2:30 pm.