FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-22-03

College Baseball: Columbus State 4, No. 11 AASU 2

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Columbus State’s Tom Capallo spun a three-hitter, striking out nine, in leading the Cougars to a 4-2 Peach Belt Conference baseball victory over host Armstrong Atlantic State at Pirate Field on Saturday afternoon.

Capallo held the Pirates (19-5, 4-3 PBC) hitless through the first five innings while his teammates built a 3-0 lead with three runs in the top of the fifth. Kurt McKee hit a two-RBI double to plate the first runs of the contest for Columbus State (21-11, 7-5 PBC), then Taylor Groce followed with an RBI single to put the Cougars up.

AASU responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth as junior Joe Swaim led off with a double, then senior Adam Brandenburg hit an 0-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single. Brandenburg later came home on a wild pitch as the Pirates cut the deficit to one.

Capallo took over again, however, limiting the Pirates to just one more hit and pitching out of a one-out, two-on jam in the eighth by striking out Matt Stephens and Andrew Graham back-to-back to quash the rally. Capallo walked just one in improving to 5-2 on the season and hurling his sixth complete game. Junior Jeremy Olson (5-2) was saddled with the loss for the Pirates after giving up 11 hits and three runs in seven innings.

The two teams will conclude their Peach Belt Conference weekend series on Sunday, March 23, with a doubleheader beginning at Noon at Pirate Field.

- Pirates -