LAURINBURG, NC – The FM baseball team ended their spring break trip with a win on Thursday afternoon. Jared Gregware pitched a complete game and five Raiders stroked extra-base hits to defeat the St. Andrews University Junior Varsity 4-1, splitting the doubleheader.
Photos, clockwise from upper left: Jared Gregware, Andrew Houser, Zachary Hughes, Kevin Chrisman, DaShon Boyles, and Baylee Hall
FM's southern schedule was designed to be challenging, and it was. FM competes as a Division III college but about half of the southern games were against higher-level opponents. The Raiders won five of their 14 southern games and will now prepare for the northern portion of their schedule.
St. Andrews overpowered FM in the first game on Thursday. The Knights slugged their way to 17 runs against four FM pitchers. Raiders' shortstop DaShon Boyles was the bright spot in the visitors' batting order, stroking two hits in two at-bats.
Game Two was much better for FM fans. The Raiders built a 3-1 lead and played solid ball the rest of the way for a 4-1 win. Head Coach Dave Hennessey handed the ball to Jared Gregware, and the freshman moundsman was very effective. Gregware went the distance, allowing four hits and only one run while striking out six.
Baylee Hall, Andrew Houser, Boyles, Zach Hughes, and Kevin Chrisman all belted doubles. FM had eight hits in all.
The team's northern play was to have begun this Saturday, March 28, but the unusually long winter has caused postponement of several games. The baseball season is likely to resume on Tuesday, April 7, with the Raiders playing the Twins of Columbia-Greene CC on the Twins' ballyard in Hudson. However, here in the Northeast, spring weather is notoriously variable, so fans should check this website for other schedule changes that may be needed.
Win was Hennessey's 200th
The Raiders' win at St. Andrews was the 200th victory of Head Coach Dave Hennessey's collegiate head-coaching career. When Hennessey took the reins of the FM baseball program three years ago, the Raiders had not qualified for postseason play in many years. Coach Hennessey, who had previously served as head coach at Hudson Valley CC, set the program on a more successful course.
Hennessey's Raiders won 13 games in 2013. They won 17 last season and earned a berth in postseason play. FM's five wins so far in 2015 have raised Hennessey's mark to 200, and Raider fans have good reason to expect that number to increase substantially in the future. Congratulations and a Raiders salute to Coach Hennessey.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
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