Staff report

FLORENCE, S.C. — Catawba second baseman Jackson Finger had a two-thumbs-up day on Monday.

Finger enjoyed a 5-for-7 day with five runs scored, but Catawba settled for a split of two games.

The Indians trounced USC Beaufort 15-3 in seven innings but lost 5-2 to Francis Marion.

The game with USC Beaufort was a stroll in the park after the Indians (4-2) scored six runs in the second inning.

Levi Perrell drove in three runs. Cameron Mills had three hits and three RBIs. Jackson Price had three hits. Finger had two hits and scored four times.

Austin Fine (2-0) took advantage of the overwhelming offensive support and was solid on the mound for six innings.

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Starting pitcher Brandon Rodgers rolled through five shutout innings against Francis Marion, but the Patriots suddenly scored five runs in the sixth.

A wild pitch hurt and an error hurt, and it snowballed into a decisive five-run inning for the hosts.

Cole Hales took the mound during that sixth-inning ruckus. He shut out FMU in the seventh and eighth, but Catawba couldn’t come all the way back.

Dylan Driver drove in a run in the seventh, while Harris Jackson knocked one in, in the eighth. They had two hits each, while Finger went 3-for-4.

Driver is batting .600 (15-for-25) with six steals, 11 runs and 11 RBIs.

Now it’s a lengthy home stand for Catawba.

The Indians host Lenoir-Rhyne at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Catawba is home this weekend for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series against Mars Hill.