AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State combined for 14 runs in the sixth and seventh innings Wednesday afternoon and crushed Paine 21-2 in a non-conference baseball matchup at Jaguar Field.
The victory lifted the Jags to 3-6 on the season, while the Lions dropped to 1-3.
Freshman centerfielder Menelik Vereen went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and a triple and drove in seven runs. Brac Barton went 4-for-4 with four runs scored and a pair of RBI. Curtis Parker went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Caleb Saggus and Alex Walker had two hits each. Andy Onufrak collected three RBI and Jake Sutton scored three runs.
Jeffrey Brown had the best day for the Lions at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Six ASU pitchers combined to allow just six hits and a pair of runs. Junior righthander Patrick Lowe (1-0) got the win in his first appearance of the season. Freshman righty Kevin Dodson earned the start for the Jags, striking out four and walking two in 4.0 innings.
Paine starter Chris Hallett took the loss, surrendering eight hits and seven runs – six earned – in 5.0 innings.
ASU hosts West Georgia in a three-game, non-conference series this weekend at Lake Olmstead Stadium. The Jags and Wolves play a single game Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2:00 p.m., and are slated for a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 20 beginning at noon.
