FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2-1-03

College Baseball: No. 28 AASU 11-15, St. Andrews Presbyterian 2-6

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Juniors George Fletcher and Andrew Graham combined for five home runs and 17 RBI to lead the No. 28-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State baseball squad to a season-opening doubleheader sweep of St. Andrews Presbyterian on Saturday afternoon. AASU took the first game, 11-2, and completed the sweep with a 15-6 win in the second game.

AASU (2-0) jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead on St. Andrews (0-2), thanks to a pair of two-run home runs from Graham in his first two at-bats as a Pirate. Fletcher added a two-run home run in the fifth inning to go with his two sacrifice flies to make a winner out of junior Curtis Morrison (1-0), who limited the Knights to four hits and two runs in five innings, striking out seven. Steve Knutson (0-1) was saddled with the loss, giving up six runs - five earned - on four hits in four innings pitched.

In the second game, Fletcher hit home runs in the fourth and fifth innings as the Pirates outdistanced the Knights, running AASU's winning streak to 11 straight over St. Andrews, dating back to 1999. Graham added a bases-loaded two-RBI single in the third and an RBI single in the fifth to give senior Jeremy Olson (1-0) a win in his first start for AASU. Olson made his first start after appearing in 18 games in relief last year and scattered 11 hits and four runs in five innings. Brian Walker (0-1) took the loss, giving up six hits and eight runs - seven earned - in two innings pitched.

Knights second baseman Jason Catlin was the hitting star for St. Andrews, going 3-for-8 with his first home run of the season in the second game. Fletcher ended the day 5-for-7 with three home runs and nine RBI for the Pirates, while Graham finished with a 4-for-8 day with two home runs and seven RBI.

Both teams will wrap up their season-opening three-game series with a 1:00 p.m. contest on Sunday at Pirate Field.

- Pirates -