FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-3-00
This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics
Monday, April 3
No Events Scheduled
Tuesday, April 4
No Events Scheduled
Wednesday, April 5
No Events Scheduled
Thursday, April 6
• Softball at USC Spartanburg, 2:30 p.m.
• Men's and Women's Tennis at Blue-Gray Classic
(Montgomery, Ala.)
Friday, April 7
• Men's and Women's Tennis at Blue-Gray Classic
(Montgomery, Ala.)
Saturday, April 8
• Baseball at Columbus State, 6:00 p.m.
• Men's and Women's Tennis at Blue-Gray Classic
(Montgomery, Ala.)
• Track and Field at Duke Invitational (Durham, N.C.)
Sunday, April 9
• Softball vs. Kennesaw State, 1:00 p.m.
• Baseball at Columbus State, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Baseball (26-13, 6-12 PBAC)
Head coach Joe Roberts' AASU baseball team won a midweek game at Newberry, 10-5, on Thursday, then suffered its second straight PBAC series sweep over the weekend, this time at the hands of No. 13-ranked Kennesaw State.
Nick Snow's grand slam home run in the top of the ninth inning broke open a close 6-5 game at Newberry on Thursday, giving the Pirates the 10-5 victory. Freshman Ryan Armstrong gave up two earned runs in six innings to pick up his third win of the season, and Shane Valigora pitched three innings of one-hit ball for his first save of the year.
Over the weekend, the Pirates hosted Kennesaw State with an eye on getting back into the PBAC race. The Owls, however, had other ideas, pounding out 40 hits and scoring 36 runs in the three-game series to take the sweep. Saturday's doubleheader saw the Owls take a 16-8 victory in game one, then use Bo Counts' seventh-inning two-run home run to take a 7-5 victory in game two. KSU won the Sunday game over the Pirates, 10-1.
AASU has now lost seven consecutive league games for the first time since the PBAC began play in 1991. The Pirates are in danger of registering just their second sub-.500 conference record in school history.
This week, the Pirates play their final PBAC road series when they travel to Columbus, Ga., for a three-game set with the Cougars of Columbus State. AASU and Columbus State will play a single game on Saturday, April 8 at 6:00 p.m., then square off for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 9 at 1:00 p.m.
Softball (34-3, 8-0 PBAC, No. 6 – NFCA Coaches' Division II Top 25)
The AASU softball team swept Eckerd College in its only action of the week as head coach Marty McDaniel's squad prepares for a big week of key PBAC action.
The Pirates swept the Tritons of Eckerd College, 4-1 and 8-0, on Tuesday afternoon. AASU watched Eckerd College take a 1-0 lead in game one on Jackie Toth's solo home run in the fourth
inning, but the Pirates plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by Diana Julian's two-run single, to take the lead for good. Julian added an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI single and helped make a winner of Annie Sells, who allowed three hits and struck out 15 batters en route to her 13th win of the season
In the second game, the Pirates jumped on Eckerd starter Dawn Minas with a five-run fourth inning, blowing open a 1-0 game. Crystal McCracken hit a two-run home run, her 11th of the year, and Kim Claborn followed with a two-run double for the Pirates. Ansley Paschal also added a solo home run later in the game. Junior Julie King picked up the win for AASU, hurling six innings of two-hit shutout ball, striking out seven for her 12th win of the year.
AASU travels to No. 19 USC Spartanburg on Thursday, April 6 for a 2:30 date with the Lady Rifles, then returns home on Sunday, April 9 for a 1:00 p.m. showdown with No. 2-ranked Kennesaw State. AASU and Kennesaw State are the only two undefeated PBAC teams remaining.
Men's & Women's Tennis (12-5, No. 5 (W), 15-3, No. 4 (M) – ITA/NCAA DII Team Rankings)
Head coach Simon Earnshaw's men's tennis team made a statement to the rest of the Division II world this week, registering two wins over teams ranked in the Top Five, including handing seven-time defending NCAA champion Lander University its first conference loss ever.
The men's team started the week with a 7-2 win over North Florida on Friday, then traveled to Greenwood, S.C., for a showdown with the top-ranked Lander Senators. The Pirates swept all three doubles points and won four of six singles for a 7-2 victory, clinching the No. 1 seed in the upcoming PBAC Tournament, to be played at AASU on April 13-16. AASU followed up the win with a 5-4 victory over No. 5 Valdosta State on Sunday, giving the Pirates wins over three of the other four top five-ranked teams in the country.
The women's team split two matches on the week, defeating No. 9 North Florida, 6-3, on Friday, also clinching the No. 1 seed for the upcoming PBAC tournament, then losing to Valdosta State, 6-3, on Sunday.
This week, the men's and women's tennis teams make their annual sojourn to Montgomery, Ala., for the Blue-Gray Classic from Thursday, April 6 to Saturday, April 8.
Track and Field
The AASU men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Emory Invitational on Saturday, April 1 in Atlanta, Ga. The women's team finished 13th with 14 points, while the men's team finished 11th with 11 points.
Highlighting the Pirate performances was freshman Rebekah Mackie's win in the 3000 meters. Mackie finished with a time of 10:06.15, nearly 40 seconds ahead of the pack, and her time provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track Championships.
Freshman Jillian Charles finished fifth in the 5000 meters in a time of 19:54.71, while junior Amanda Lagesse finished 10th in the 5000 meters in a time of 20:45.10.
On the men's side, junior Robert Crenshaw took second place in the 800 meters, running a time of 1:53.61. Freshman Paul McRae finished seventh in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:00.30, while Brant Speed finished 16th in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:10.99. Senior Gary Ginn finished eighth in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:55.71, while freshman Chris Ramsey finished 14th in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:33.85.
This week, the Pirates will travel to Durham, N.C., to compete in the Duke Invitational on Saturday, April 8.
-Pirates-