FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-14-08
This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics
Monday, April 14
No Events Scheduled
Tuesday, April 15
Baseball vs. Valdosta State, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 16
No Events Scheduled
Thursday, April 17
No Events Scheduled
Friday, April 18
Softball at PBC Championships (Florence, S.C.)
Tennis Hosts PBC Championships
Baseball at Columbus State, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 19
Softball at PBC Championships (Florence, S.C.)
Tennis Hosts PBC Championships
Baseball at Columbus State, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Baseball (23-14 Overall, 11-10 Peach Belt Conference)
The Pirates watched their losing streak reach five before salvaging a game from North Georgia in this weekend’s Peach Belt Conference series with the Saints.
The week began with a 3-2 loss to Pfeiffer on Tuesday. The Falcons built a 3-0 lead by the fourth inning, and the Pirates cut the lead to 3-2 on back-to-back RBI doubles by Nick Pyron and Kenny Cail, but the score would hold the rest of the way.
Saturday, the Pirates hosted North Georgia for a doubleheader. AASU dropped game one, 3-2 – the Pirates’ fourth straight loss, all by one run. The Saints pounded out 18 hits in a game two 15-9 victory, sending AASU to its fifth straight loss.
AASU rebounded on Sunday with a 9-5 win over the Saints. Joey Davis clubbed a first-inning grand slam home run – his second grand slam in as many games and third home run of the series – while Michael Price went 4-for-4 in the victory.
This week, the Pirates host No. 18 Valdosta State at 3:30 p.m., then AASU travels to Columbus for a three-game set with the league-leading Cougars, beginning with a Friday night contest at 7:00 p.m.. The series wraps up on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Softball (26-17 Overall, 13-5 Peach Belt Conference)
The Armstrong Atlantic State softball squad clinched a second-place finish in the Peach Belt Conference by sweeping two doubleheaders on the week. AASU finished the league schedule with a 13-5 record and the second-place finish is the best for the Pirates since the 2004 season.
The Pirates swept two games on Monday from Augusta State, winning 1-0 in 13 innings in game one and 5-2 in game two. Jacquie Crane hurled a complete-game victory in game one, the longest game in AASU softball history, while Sara Morris’ RBI double in the bottom of the 13th capped a two-out rally and gave AASU the win. Natalie Vogler delivered the big blow in game two, a three-run shot that sparked the Pirates to the sweep.
AASU hosted No. 4-ranked Francis Marion on Saturday and picked up a doubleheader sweep of the Patriots, 3-0 and 4-2. Crane delivered a four-hit shutout in game one, extending her consecutive scoreless inning streak to 25 2/3 innings, then Erin Billingsley had three hits in the game two win. It was the highest ranked opponent AASU has swept since the Pirates took two from No. 2 Kennesaw State in 2000.
The Pirates will now head to Florence, S.C., as the No. 2 seed in the 2008 PBC Softball Championships, which begin on Friday. AASU will face the No. 7 seed in a first-round game at Noon at the Freedom Complex in downtown Florence.
Men’s Tennis (22-0 Overall, 8-0 Peach Belt Conference, No. 1 ITA DII National Rankings)
The top-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State men’s tennis team completed its first-ever undefeated regular season with three wins on the week.
AASU traveled to No. 5 Barry on Wednesday and edged the Bucs, 5-4. The Pirates returned home on Saturday and defeated No. 19 Francis Marion, 7-2, then AASU knocked off No. 14 Florida Southern, 9-0, on Sunday.
The Pirates will now host the 2008 PBC Tennis Championships at the AASU Tennis Complex on Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20. AASU, as the top seed, will host North Georgia in a first-round match on Friday at Noon. AASU is the three-time defending champion of the tournament and this is the first time that the Pirates have hosted the tournament since the 2001 season.
Women’s Tennis (23-1 Overall, 10-0 Peach Belt Conference, No. 2 ITA DII National Rankings)
The No. 2-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State women's tennis team won twice on the week, ending the regular season at 23-1 and capturing the team’s fifth straight and 15th overall Peach Belt Conference title.
The Lady Pirates visited No. 10 Barry on Wednesday and defeated the Lady Bucs, 8-1. AASU then returned home and faced undefeated and No. 9-ranked Francis Marion on Saturday in a showdown for the league title – which the Lady Pirates captured, 8-1.
AASU now hosts the 2008 PBC Tennis Championships at the AASU Tennis Complex on Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20. AASU, as the top seed, will play the winner of the 8-9 matchup on Friday at 4:30 p.m. AASU is the three-time defending champion of the tournament and this is the first time that the Pirates have hosted the tournament since the 2001 season.
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