FLORENCE — The Newberry Wolves jumped out to an early lead but were unable to hold onto it, as the Francis Marion Patriots took an 11-6 win at Sparrow Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

With the loss, Newberry is now 4-2 on the baseball season entering a three-game weekend series at national No. 1 Mount Olive on Saturday and Sunday.

Wesley Camp, Ryan Cranmer, Albert Baur and Andy Vogel each went 2-for-4 in the game, but FMU reliever Jeffrey Stoner struck out eight Wolves and allowed only two runs in 6.2 innings of work to help his team earn the win.

Newberry jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning after Anthony Siler was hit by a pitch, Camp singled and Cranmer hit an RBI double. An RBI groundout from Eric Barbieri and a Vogel RBI single brought the runs in for the scarlet and gray. Unfortunately, the Wolves did not get to enjoy the lead for long as the Patriots put up six runs in the bottom of the inning. Jarrod Reed and David DeWolfe each drove in two as FMU sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame. Neither of the game’s starting pitchers survived the first inning.

Camp led off the third with a single that stretched all the way to third base when it was misplayed by the right fielder and Cranmer’s RBI single cut the lead to 6-4. FMU had a cold streak but broke out of it in a big way with four runs in the fifth thanks to five straight singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to make it 10-4.

D.J. Roberts, of Chapin, helped the cause for the scarlet and gray in the top of the sixth with a pinch hit two-run double to cut the lead to 10-6, but the Patriots added one more run in the bottom of the inning. No Wolves reached base in the final three innings, snuffing any attempt at a late comeback.

Barbieri drives in four in Wolves’ 11-4 loss at Cobras

HARTSVILLE — Barbieri went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for the Newberry Wolves, but the Coker Cobras pounded out 19 hits to hand the Wolves an 11-4 loss at Tom J. New Field on Tuesday afternoon.

With Tuesday’s performance, Barbieri now leads the team with nine RBIs on the young season. He and Cranmer were the only players to record multiple hits for the Wolves.

Vogel got a Newberry rally started in the first inning with a one-out double followed by a Cranmer single. A Barbieri sacrifice fly gave Newberry a 1-0 lead.

The Cobras responded with a sacrifice fly of their own to tie the game in the bottom of the first. Both teams left the bases loaded in the second inning and Newberry was unable to score in the third. Coker’s Zach Loraine hit a two-run homer in the third and his teammates tacked on three more runs that inning to take a 6-1 lead and break the game open.

Coker’s Frank Suarez hit a two-run single in the fourth to make it an 8-1 game as the Cobras pitching kept the Wolves at bay.

JoJo Bradley hit a one-out triple in the second and 10 Wolves came to the plate without another hit. Camp led off the fifth with a single up the middle followed by an Siler walk, but both runners were stranded after three straight flyouts.

Baur led off the the sixth with a double but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Barbieri’s RBI single in the seventh broke the scoring drought, but Coker scored three in the bottom of the frame including a two-run double by Loraine.

Pinch hitter Alex Kirby of Chapin led off the ninth with a bunt single and Cranmer kept the game alive with a two-out single followed by a two-run double to the left-center gap by Barbieri to cut the lead to 11-4, but the rally was put to rest on the next batter.

Of Newberry’s nine hits in the game, four went for extra bases. Newberry has had 16 of its 43 hits this season go for extra bases, including six triples in the five games.

Will Robbins fell to 1-1 on the season after allowing five runs on five hits and three walks in 2.1 innings.