FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-28-04

College Baseball: AASU 3-4, No. 25 Lander 4-3

Release Courtesy of Lander University

GREENWOOD, S.C. – No. 25-ranked Lander and Armstrong Atlantic split a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader Sunday at Legion Field with the Bearcats winning the opener 4-3 and Armstrong taking the nightcap, also 4-3.

Lander left-hander David Wilson settled down after a slow start to win Game 1 as the Bearcats (24-11, 9-9) rallied with a run in the eighth to tie, then won it on Jason Spivey’s bases-loaded single in the ninth.

Wilson (6-1) struck out 11 and retired the final 11 batters he faced. The Pirates (21-14, 4-8) rallied to win the second game, scoring three runs in the sixth to tie it and winning it with a run in the eighth.

Lander took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener when Bob Fenn reached on an error, moved to third on David Walton’s single and scored on Ryan Roeder’s single up the middle.

Armstrong opened the top of the second with four consecutive hits, taking a 2-1 lead on RBI singles by Kyle Maddux and Dustin Thomas.

The Bearcats tied it in the bottom of the second when Walter Cochrane walked and scored on a hit-and-run double to left by Jeremy Ryals. The Pirates took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Maddux’s run-scoring double. He would be the last Armstrong batter to reach base off Wilson. Lander tied it in the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Ryals. Roeder led off with a single, pinch runner Spivey stole second and stopped at third on Jeff Whitfield’s single off reliever Zach Shelnutt. After Spivey was thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice, Ryals singled home Whitfield.

Greg Smith struck out to lead off the ninth but reached first on a passed ball. Fenn reached when the second baseman made an errant throw on a force attempt, and Walton was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Spivey dumped a single into short right field to score the game-winner.

Roeder paced the Bearcats in Game 1, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Ryals was 2-for-2 with two RBI while Cochrane went 2-for-3.

Maddux was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Michael Pelley was also 2-for-4 for Armstrong.

Wilson struck out the side in the seventh and retired the side in order in the eighth and ninth. The left-hander allowed three runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out 11.

Pirates starter Leon Boyd pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits and a walk. He struck out eight. Shelnutt (2-1) finished and took the loss. Lander took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of Game 2 when Whitfield reached third on a throwing error and scored on Cochrane’s sacrifice fly to right.

Fenn walked, Walton singled and Roeder reached on pitcher Marcus Barriger’s throwing error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases with none out in a promising third inning for the Bearcats. But they settled for one run to make it 2-0 when Whitfield into a double play.

Lander made it 3-0 in the fourth when Spivey doubled into the left-field corner, moved to third on a single by Ryals, and scored on Fenn’s infield RBI single. Armstrong scored three runs in the sixth with the help of two infield throwing errors. Rob Recuenco led off with a single and Adam Pelley was hit by a pitch. Glover, awaiting an infielder to cover first base, threw wildly on Michael Pelley’s sacrifice bunt, scoring two runs and putting Pelley on third. Shortstop Corey Reed’s throwing error scored the tying run.

George Fletcher singled home the winning run off Bearcats reliever Corey Watkins (3-2) in the eighth.

Lander starter David Glover took a shutout into the sixth inning before settling for a no decision. In seven innings, he allowed six hits, one earned run and no walks while striking out three. Watkins gave up a run on two hits in the eighth.

Barriger (4-2) got the win for Armstrong, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six. Spivey went 2-for-3 for Lander while Recuenco was 2-for-4 for the Pirates.

AASU returns to action on Tuesday, March 30, with a 2:00 p.m. game against Valdosta State at Pirate Field.

-Pirates-