FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2-22-02

College Baseball: No. 13 AASU 9, Connecticut 8 (10 inn.)

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Senior David Harriman hit his second consecutive extra-inning walk-off home run, this time in the 10th inning with two out, to give the Pirates a 9-8 win over the University of Connecticut in the second game of the 2002 Memorial Health Diamond Classic at Grayson Stadium on Friday evening.

Harriman's blast off of Husky reliever Nick Tucci (0-1) was his first hit of the evening and capped off a night that saw eight home runs hit between both teams. The senior catcher extended his hitting streak to 14 games with the round tripper and made a winner out of freshman Jason Hawkins (2-1), who retired the final two Husky hitters in the top of the 10th inning.

AASU took a 4-0 lead on a two-run home run by senior Kirk Nordness - one of two homers on the day from the Pirates' right fielder - but the Huskies would come right back with three runs of their own. The Pirates, behind a home run by sophomore Ryan Chromek, extended their lead to 7-3 in the seventh inning, but the Huskies battled back with pairs of runs in the eighth and ninth innings, the final two on solo home runs by Peter Soteropoulos and Mike Leonard.

Tucci got the first two Pirate hitters in the bottom of the 10th, but Harriman hit the first pitch he saw over the center field scoreboard for the winning run.

Cy Ness led the Huskies with a 4-for-6 day with a home run and five RBI. Nordness collected two home runs and drove in four for the Pirates, who left just one runner on base in the ballgame, compared to nine for Connecticut.

The Pirates face the University of North Carolina at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday in continuing 2002 Memorial Health Diamond Classic action, while Connecticut takes on the University of Georgia at 11:00 a.m.

- Pirates -