AUGUSTA, Ga.
– Augusta State University defeated the Saints 13-11 on
Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of the three-game Peach Belt
Conference series. The Jaguars took the series from North Georgia
2-1.
With the win, Augusta State
improved to 20-20 overall and 8-7 in the Peach Belt Conference,
while the loss dropped North Georgia to 20-20 on the season and
11-10 in the league.
Augusta State jumped all over the
Saints in the early going, putting five runs on the board in the
first inning, and adding two more in the third to take a 7-0
lead.
Rawlings opened up the scoring in
the bottom of the first as he singled up the middle to make it 1-0.
Evan Smith added two more RBI with a double to left field. Walker
added two more runs in the third with a single to center field that
scored Baker and Smith.
North Georgia answered back in
second with a homer from Wallach. The Saints then cut Augusta
State's lead to 7-5, by adding four more runs in the sixth
with a single from Wallach and a double from Baker that scored two
runs each.
The Jags had a big seventh inning
by adding six more runs to the board. A double from Walker scored
Virguez and Baker. Wilkerson then slapped out his 17th homer of the
season that also scored Walker. Rawlings earned a walk; the Owens
homered to right field scoring two more runs to take a 13-5
lead.
North Georgia fought back in the
top of the eighth by adding four runs and again in the ninth,
putting two more runs up on the board. However it still was not
enough, as The Saints fell to ASU, 13-11.
Freshman Wilson Taylor (2-2) earned
the win, pitching 6.0 innings. Taylor allowed five runs on five
hits and booked six strikeouts.
Sophomore Alex Walker paced The
Jags offensively with a 3-for-6 afternoon and drove in four RBI.
Seniors Jorge Virguez, Tim Rawlings, and junior Tony Baker each had
two hits on the day. Juniors Evan Smith, Shannon Wilkerson and
senior Kevin Owens each had a safety on the day with two runs
batted in.
The Jaguars are back in action on Wednesday, March 8 when they take
on Anderson in a non-conference matchup in Anderson, S.C. First
pitched is slated for 6:00 p.m.
