FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-13-05

College Baseball: AASU 3-5, No. 25 Augusta State 1-2

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Starting pitchers Jon Troop and Chase Leatherwood each remained unbeaten on the season as Armstrong Atlantic State swept a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader from visiting Augusta State, 3-1 and 5-2, on Sunday afternoon at Pirate Field.

Troop (7-0) hurled eight innings of four-hit ball, allowing just one unearned run, while striking out four to become the first AASU pitcher since Jason Ackley in 2000 to begin the season with a 7-0 record. The Pirates plated a single run in the second inning and two in the third – courtesy of Sean Hotzak’s solo home run and Adam Pelley’s RBI single – for all three of their runs on the afternoon. Matt Nalutka picked up his third save by pitching a perfect ninth inning, while Max Fischer (4-2) took the loss for the Jaguars, giving up 11 hits and three runs – two earned – in seven innings of work.

AASU (18-2, 2-1 PBC) then completed the sweep behind Leatherwood (6-0), who gave up six hits and two runs while striking out 10 in seven innings of work – Leatherwood’s fourth straight game with 10 or more strikeouts. The Jaguars (17-9-1, 5-6-1 PBC) took a 2-0 lead off of Leatherwood in the third inning on a leadoff home run by Chris Demons and a perfect suicide squeeze by Sam Barth, but AASU struck back for two in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Pelley and an RBI double by Miguel Donate. Brandon Nunez broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run that popped out of ASU left fielder Justin Vorherr’s glove and went over the fence, then added an insurance run on Sean Hotzak’s squeeze bunt. Justin Walker (2-2) took the loss for the Jaguars, giving up eight hits and four runs in four innings pitched.

Pelley led all players in the doubleheader with six hits in eight at-bats, while Bohannon added four hits on the day, including a pair of doubles. Demons led the Jaguars with three hits.

AASU returns to action on Tuesday evening as the Pirates host Fairmont State at 6:00 p.m. at Historic Grayson Stadium in 2005 Savannah Invitational action.

- Pirates -