FLORENCE, S.C. --- Preseason All-America pitcher Rijnaldo Euson tossed six shutout innings to lead Francis Marion University to a 5-2 season-opening win over Tusculum University Friday afternoon at Sparrow Stadium.
FMU skipper Jeff Jefferson recorded the victory in his head coaching debut with the Patriots (1-0).
Euson (1-0), who was making his FMU debut, allowed three hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts in the win. The 6-2, 327-pound senior transferred from Georgia Southwestern where he was the 2024 Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and a consensus All-American.
Francis Marion scored one run in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the seventh to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
Each team accounted for seven hits as FMU's Rayth Petersen went 2-for-5 on the afternoon with two runs scored, while Tusculum shortstop Ben Scartz had a pair of hits and drove in TU's first run of the game with his RBI single in the eighth.
After three scoreless innings, Francis Marion broke through in the bottom of the fourth as the Patriots loaded the bases with no outs. TU starter Luke Absher got an infield pop-up and strikeout for the first two outs of the inning. But third baseman Jimmy Koza drove in the first run of the year with a walk as FMU led 1-0. Absher limited the damage getting a ground out to end the frame.
FMU tacked on two runs in the fifth against TU reliever Luke Maicon. Petersen led off with a single and scored on a RBI double from Charlie Bussey III to extend the lead to 2-0. Bussey moved to third on a ground out and later scored on a wild pitch as the Patriots led 3-0.
In bottom of the seventh, Peterson led off with a single, moved to second on stolen base and scored on a two-out wild pitch. FMU took advantage of a TU fielding error to make it a 5-0 contest.
In the top of the eighth, pinch-hitter Luis Reyes legged out an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error. Pinch-hitter Connor Jurek was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. Scartz followed with a single down the left field line, which drove in Reyes and moved Jurek to third. After a pop-out, pinch-hitter Seth Sherman singled to right field to drive in Jurek with the second run of the inning.
TU's Jack Lyndrup got on base to start the ninth inning with TU's third pinch-hit single of the game, but FMU's Josh Adams retired the final three batters to end the game and secure the save.
Absher (0-1) pitched four solid innings as he allowed one run on two hits, two walks and posted two strikeouts.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
