FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-22-02

This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics

Monday, April 22
• Men's Golf at Peach Belt Conference Championships (Kennesaw, Ga.)

Tuesday, April 23
• Men's Golf at Peach Belt Conference Championships (Kennesaw, Ga.)

Wednesday, April 24
No Events Scheduled

Thursday, April 25
No Events Scheduled

Friday, April 26
• Baseball vs. Georgia College & State University, 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 27
• Baseball vs. Georgia College & State University, 1:00 p.m. (DH)

Sunday, April 28
No Events Scheduled

Baseball (34-16 Overall, 11-13 Peach Belt, No. 23 Collegiate Baseball DII)

The Armstrong Atlantic State baseball team split four games against ranked teams last week, coming from behind to knock off No. 28-ranked Valdosta State, 6-5, on Tuesday, then took one of three games from No. 4-ranked Kennesaw State over the weekend.

Tuesday, the Pirates trailed the Blazers, 5-2, heading into the seventh inning. A two-run home run by freshman Matt Stephens brought the Pirates to within one, then an RBI single by sophomore Ryan Chromek tied the game. On the play, sophomore Chris Dentler advanced to third, then scored the winning run when the Blazers threw the ball away trying to catch Dentler at third. Jeremy Olson hurled 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the victory, while Zach Shelnutt struck out the final two batters for his team-leading sixth save.

On Saturday, the Pirates hosted PBC-leading Kennesaw State in a doubleheader, dropping the first game, 9-2, but rallying to win the second game, 6-5, in nine innings. Chris Dentler's two-out RBI double scored senior David Harriman with the winning run. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak to Kennesaw State that dated back to 1999.

Sunday, the Pirates trailed 12-5 in the ninth inning and rallied, plating three runs and bringing the tying run to the plate, but could not convert as the Owls took a 12-8 victory and the PBC series.

This week, the Pirates will wrap up their 2002 home schedule with a PBC series against No. 11-ranked Georgia College & State University. The first game will be on Friday, April 26, at 3:00 p.m., then the series will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 27, at 1:00 p.m.

Softball (37-5, 13-2 Peach Belt, No. 6 NCAA Division II)

The AASU softball squad almost pulled off the remarkable at the 2002 PBC Softball Championships over the weekend, coming one run shy of winning three games on the final day that would have given the Lady Pirates their first PBC Tournament Championship.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Pirates clinched second place in the conference with a doubleheader sweep of GC&SU, defeating the Lady Bobcats, 4-3 and 8-5.

The Pirates then went into the PBC Championships as the No. 2 seed and knocked off Lander, 9-1, on Friday evening. AASU then lost, 5-2, to No. 3-seed Kennesaw State, shifting the Lady Pirates into the loser's bracket. The Lady Pirates stayed alive with a 5-1 win over Francis Marion to set the stage for Sunday's heroics.

AASU began Sunday's quest with a 2-0 shutout of GC&SU, then trailed Kennesaw State, 4-2, in the seventh inning of their first meeting, when senior Annie Sells drilled a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Owls, 5-4, and force a final game. The Lady Pirates led in the championship game, 2-1, but KSU scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to come away with the 3-2 victory.

Sells, sophomore Stacey Richardson and freshman Diana Corwin each earned All-Tournament honors. AASU will now await word of a possible NCAA Regionals berth, which will be announced on Monday, May 6. The South Atlantic Regional will take place on May 9-11 at a site to be determined.

Men's Golf (No. 19 NCAA Division II)

The No. 18-ranked AASU golf team, coming off of a seventh-place finish at the 2002 Southeastern Collegiates, will be next in action at the Peach Belt Conference Championships, hosted by Kennesaw State University on Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, at the Bridge Mill Golf Club in Kennesaw, Ga.

Men's Tennis (12-11, 4-3 Peach Belt, No. 20 NCAA Division II)

The No. 20-ranked AASU men's tennis squad entered the 2002 Peach Belt Conference Tennis Championships as the No. 5 seed, but started the tournament off well, knocking off No. 4 seeded USC Spartanburg, 5-1, to advance to the semifinals.

The Pirates played top-seeded Lander tough, but fell to the Senators, 5-4, putting AASU in the third-place match against No. 3-seeded Francis Marion. After a marathon six-hour match, the Pirates emerged victorious, defeating the Patriots, 5-4, as freshman Achim Roth won the clinching singles match in three sets over FMU's Llewellyn King, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to give the Pirates the win.

AASU will now await word on a possible NCAA Regionals berth, to be announced later this week. The NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional will take place from May 3-5 at campus sites to be determined.

Women's Tennis (21-3, 10-0 Peach Belt, No. 2 NCAA Division II)

The Armstrong Atlantic State women's tennis squad breezed through the 2002 Peach Belt Conference Tennis Championships, not dropping a point in winning three matches and capturing the conference title for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates knocked off No. 9-seeded USC Aiken, 6-0, then defeated No. 4-seeded Georgia College & State University, 5-0, to earn a berth in the title match. AASU swept the doubles points, then got singles wins from PBC Tournament MVP Zsofi Golopencza and Laura Peaty to clinch the match and the title, 5-0, over the host and No. 3-seeded North Florida Lady Ospreys.

By winning the conference title, the Lady Pirates receive an automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA Championships, to be competed from May 3-5. The Lady Pirates will receive word on whether or not they will host a regional later this week.

- Pirates -