FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-2-06

College Baseball: No. 17 AASU 8, USC Upstate 3

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Armstrong Atlantic State used a six-run fourth inning to break open a 2-2 game, downing the USC Upstate Spartans, 8-3, in the final game of the team’s Peach Belt Conference series at Pirate Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Pirates (26-6-1, 7-5 PBC) sent 12 men to the plate in the fourth, scoring six runs and chasing USC Upstate starter Kyle Bowley (2-3) as five of the six runs scored with two outs. Sean Hotzak delivered an RBI double and Marc Noble, Daniel Heflin and Josh Dallas recorded RBI singles in the inning.

AASU relievers Austin Ducey and Matt Nalutka then held the Spartans scoreless over the final four innings to preserve the win for Jeremy Horst (4-0), who won his second game this week by hurling five innings of five-hit ball, giving up three runs – two earned – while striking out three. Ducey struck out four in his two innings and Nalutka gave up just one hit in his two shutout frames.

USC Upstate (21-16, 6-9 PBC) scored twice in the first inning on a fielder’s choice RBI by Matt Goyea and an RBI double by Josh Clark, but the Pirates responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs on Brad Bohannon’s two-out, two-run single. AASU chased Bowley in the big fourth inning as the Spartans starter gave up eight runs – seven earned – and nine hits in 3 1/2 innings pitched to take the loss.

Heflin finished the day 4-for-5 with an RBI to lead the Pirates at the plate, while Bohannon, Hotzak and Noble each had two-hit days. Michael Kohn and Andrew Runion picked up two-hit days for the Spartans.

The Pirates return to action on Thursday, April 6, as they travel to Pembroke, N.C., for a neutral-site game against Barton College at 5:00 p.m. USC Upstate is next in action on Wednesday, April 5, as the Spartans host Lenoir-Rhyne at 4:00 p.m.

- Pirates -