FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-31-03

This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics

Monday, March 31
• Men's Golf at Amoco Oil-Young Intercollegiate (Glencoe, Ala.)

Tuesday, April 1
• Men's Golf at Amoco Oil-Young Intercollegiate (Glencoe, Ala.)

Wednesday, April 2
• Softball vs. Georgia College & State University, 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 3
• Baseball vs. Valdosta State, 2:00 p.m.
• Men's Tennis vs. BYU-Hawaii, 1:30 p.m. (White Sands Invitational, Pensacola, Fla.)
• Women's Tennis at BYU-Hawaii, 1:30 p.m. (White Sands Invitational, Pensacola, Fla.)
• Softball at USC Aiken, 2:00 p.m.

Friday, April 4
• Men's Tennis vs. Ouachita Baptist, 10:30 a.m. (White Sands Invitational, Pensacola, Fla.)
• Women's Tennis at Ferris State, Noon (White Sands Invitational, Pensacola, Fla.)

Saturday, April 5
• Softball vs. Columbus State, Noon
• Baseball vs. Francis Marion, 2:00 p.m.
• Men's Tennis vs. UC San Diego, 9:00 a.m. (White Sands Invitational, Pensacola, Fla.)
• Women's Tennis at Ouachita Baptist, 10:30 a.m. (White Sands Inv’l, Pensacola, Fla.)

Sunday, April 6
• Baseball vs. Francis Marion, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
• Softball vs. USC Spartanburg, 1:00 p.m.
• Men's Tennis at West Florida, 9:00 a.m.
• Women's Tennis at West Florida, 9:00 a.m.

Baseball (23-6 Overall, 8-4 Peach Belt Conference, #8 Collegiate Baseball Top 25 Poll)
The Armstrong Atlantic State baseball team took two out of three games from USC Aiken this weekend, moving into a tie for second place in the Peach Belt Conference standings.

AASU hosted the Pacers in a doubleheader on Saturday and in the first game, the Pirates broke open a close 4-3 contest with six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the first game of the series, 11-3. Jon Dobyns picked up the win for AASU, hurling seven innings and giving up seven hits, three runs – two earned – and striking out eight to improve to 7-1 on the season. Stacy Bennett and Andrew Graham each had solo home runs for the Pirates.

The second game of the doubleheader saw the Pirates fall behind, 1-0, after the first two batters of the game, but rally to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, 1-1. It would stay that way until the top of the 12th inning, when USC Aiken scored five runs to come away with a 5-1 win, the second year the Pacers have taken a 12th-inning victory over the Pirates. The loss spoiled fine pitching performances from Curtis Morrison (eight innings, seven hits, one run, six strikeouts) and Zach Shelnutt (2 2/3 shutout innings) as the Pirates were limited to just three hits in the entire game.

The Pirates bats woke up on Sunday, however, as AASU jumped out to an 8-1 lead and held on for an 11-5 victory. Matt Stephens and Brandon McKinnon each jolted two-run home runs and Stephens finished the day 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run as AASU took its first series win over the Pacers since the 1999 season.

This week, the Pirates will host Valdosta State on Thursday, April 3, at 2:00 p.m., then welcome in Francis Marion for a three-game Peach Belt Conference series beginning with a single game on Saturday, April 5, at 2:00 p.m., then concluding with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday, April 6.

Softball (26-6 Overall, 3-3 Peach Belt Conference, #13 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll)
The No. 13-ranked Pirate softball squad dropped three of four Peach Belt Conference games on the week, losing a doubleheader to No. 10-ranked North Florida and splitting a doubleheader against No. 24 Francis Marion.

The Pirates welcomed in North Florida for a doubleheader on Wednesday and held the Ospreys scoreless through six innings of the first game, but three solo home runs off of NFCA Division II Player of the Week Katya Eronina gave UNF a 3-0 win over the Pirates. Game two saw the Pirates build a 3-1 lead, but again in the seventh inning North Florida struck, scoring four runs to take a 5-3 victory. UNF remained perfect against the Pirates in Savannah with the sweep as the Ospreys are 8-0 all-time against AASU at Pirate Field.

The Pirates then traveled to Francis Marion on Saturday to face the Patriots. Eronina was back on track as she struck out 13 in shutting out the Patriots, 5-0, in the first contest, but the Patriots scored five runs in the second inning against AASU’s Delaney Warrian to come away with the split, winning the second game, 5-3.

AASU’s scheduled Sunday doubleheader at UNC Pembroke was rained out.

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, April 2, as they host No. 2-ranked GC&SU at Pirate Field, then travel to USC Aiken for a 2:00 p.m. contest against the Pacers. Saturday, the Pirates host Columbus State at Noon, then Sunday the Pirates host Lander at 2:00 p.m. in Peach Belt Conference action.

Men's Tennis (7-5 Overall, 3-3 PBC, #9 Omni Hotels/ITA Division II Top 25 Rankings)
The No. 9-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State men's tennis had its losing streak reach four with two Peach Belt Conference losses on the week, dropping the Pirates to 7-5 overall and 3-3 in the PBC.

The Pirates visited Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday and lost, 6-3, to the No. 4-ranked North Florida Ospreys. AASU won at No. 1 doubles behind Achim Roth and Dale White, then Roth and Jonas Askeland picked up singles wins for the Pirates’ three points.

AASU then hosted No. 14 Lander and dropped a 6-3 decision to the Senators. Playing without Roth because the sophomore came down with food poisoning, the Pirates won at No. 1 doubles as Dale White and Roger Thiele took a win, then Thiele and David Secker picked up singles wins for the Pirates’ three points.

This week, the Pirates travel to Pensacola, Fla., for the White Sands Invitational. AASU will face No. 2-ranked BYU Hawaii on Thursday, April 3, at 1:30 p.m., then host No. 10-ranked Ouachita Baptist on Friday, April 4, at 10:30 a.m. The Pirates will wrap up the Invitational against No. 20 UC San Diego at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, then AASU will play against No. 3 West Florida in a makeup of an earlier rained out date on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 a.m.

Women's Tennis (12-3 Overall, 7-1 PBC, #7 Omni Hotels/ITA Division II Top 25 Rankings)
The Armstrong Atlantic State women's tennis squad picked up a Peach Belt Conference win in its only action of the week, knocking off No. 12 North Florida, 6-3, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Lady Pirates won two of three doubles matches, then picked up singles wins from Zsofi Golopencza, Laura Peaty, Manuela Emmrich and Alejandra Aguilar to clinch the match.

This week, the Lady Pirates travel to Pensacola, Fla., for the White Sands Invitational. AASU will face top-ranked and defending DII champion BYU Hawaii on Thursday, April 3, at 1:30 p.m., then host No. 18-ranked Ferris State on Friday, April 4, at Noon. The Lady Pirates will wrap up the Invitational against No. 5 Ouachita Baptist at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, then AASU will play against No. 4 West Florida in a makeup of an earlier rained out date on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 a.m.

Men’s Golf (#21 GCAA Coaches’ Division II Top 25)
The No. 21-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State golf team finished tied for third at the 2003 Bobcat Classic at the Golf Club of Cuscowilla in Eatonton, Ga., beating several higher-ranked teams and finishing third or better in each of its last five tournaments.

AASU finished the tournament with a 33-over-par 873, 10 strokes behind team champion West Florida and just one stroke behind Rollins College. The Pirates finished tied with USC Aiken and two strokes ahead of Florida Southern.

Sophomore Nick Cowper led Pirates individually, finishing tied for ninth with a five-over-par 215 total for the tournament. Sophomore Chris Epperson finished tied for 13th with an eight-over-par 218 total. Sophomore Jonathan Cox finished tied for 18th with a 10-over-par 220 total. Sophomore Ashley Loyd (73, +13 223, tied for 26th) and junior Thomas Whittaker (79, +17 227, tied for 36th) rounded out the Pirate scoring.

AASU next competes in the Amoco Oil/Young Intercollegiate in Glencoe, Ala., on Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1. The tournament, hosted by Jacksonville State University, is primarily comprised of NCAA Division I schools.

- Pirates -