College Baseball: No. 10 AASU 8-2, No. 8 GCSU 4-4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2-25-08

College Baseball: No. 10 AASU 8-2, No. 8 GCSU 4-4

SAVANNAH, Ga. (February 25) – The Armstrong Atlantic State baseball squad split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with visiting GCSU on Monday, taking the series two games to one. The No. 10-ranked Pirates took game one, 8-4, but the No. 8-ranked Bobcats responded to salvage game three with a 4-2 win.

The Pirates (8-1, 2-1 PBC) plated four runs in the seventh inning of game one to erase a 4-2 GCSU lead and pick up the 8-4 victory. Josh Wilson greeted reliever Brandon Owens with a two-RBI double to left field, tying the game, then RBI singles by Kenny Cail and Joey Davis put the Pirates on top by two. In the eighth, Juan Dorado provided two insurance runs with an RBI single, then scored from second as he stole third and advanced home on a wild pitch, making it 8-4.

Brandon McCreery (2-0) held the Bobcat batters in check with 4 2/3 innings of shutout relief to pick up the win, giving up just three hits while striking out seven. Owens (2-1) took the loss for the Bobcats, giving up four runs in 1 1/3 innings pitched.

Game two began as a pitcher’s duel between AASU’s Jeff Chase and GCSU’s Shaun Monica as both pitchers put zeroes on the board through the first five innings. The Bobcats broke through in the sixth on Pete Paris’ RBI double and Derek Johns’ RBI single, but the Pirates again came back in the seventh inning on Michael Price’s two-out, two-RBI double down the right field line, tying the score at 2. The Bobcats pushed across the winning runs in the ninth against reliever Garrett Smith (1-1) on Tommy Rice’s RBI double and a hit batter with the bases loaded. Michael Newman (1-1) hurled 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief to pick up the win for GCSU (10-4, 1-2 PBC).

Joey Davis had a four-hit day in the doubleheader while Josh Wilson had three hits and three RBI. Dorado went 3-for-3 with four runs scored in game one as well for the Pirates. GCSU was led by Chandler Snell’s four hits and Brett DiFelice’s three-hit game in game two.

The series win against the Bobcats was the first for the Pirates since the 2001 season.

AASU returns to action on Friday, February 29, with a 3:00 p.m. contest at Francis Marion in Florence, S.C.

- Pirates -