COLUMBUS, Ga. -- UNC Pembroke's Brian Willis and Braxton Lewis combined to scatter nine hits and allow only one run as the 10th-ranked Braves won their first-ever Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship Thursday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over Augusta State at Golden Park.
With the win, UNCP earned the PBC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament while improving to 42-10 on the season. ASU, appearing in the PBC championship game for the first time in school history, saw its season come to a close with a 25-30 record.
With their appearance, the Jaguars became the fourth ASU team in 2010-11 to advance to the league's championship game, joining men's basketball, softball and men's tennis.
Willis, making his second start of the tournament on three day's rest after starting in the tournament opener on Sunday, ran into immediate trouble as he gave up three straight, one-out singles to ASU's Jake Sutton, Tristan Toorie and Andy Onufrak to load the bases in the first inning. With two outs, Alex Walker sent a grounder up the middle to score Sutton, giving the Jags a 1-0 lead.
The Braves answered in the bottom of the frame with both of their runs. Jason Coker took a one-out fastball off the brick wall in right center for a double and then came around to score on back-to-back ASU errors that left the bases loaded with one out.
Jags' starter Scott Shipman, also pitching on three day's rest, then walked Joe Mangum to score the second run. It would be the only walk Shipman would surrender as he induced a Brad Bridgeman pop up to third and struck out JJ Williams to end the inning.
Both starters then settled in to a pitcher's duel. UNCP's Aaron Parnell reached first base in the third inning after strike three rolled to the backstop, but that would be the last Brave base runner of the game as Shipman retired the final 17 in a row, and 20 of the last 21.
Willis was equally as effective, setting down the Jags in order in the second, third and fourth innings. In the fifth he issued a walk to Mike Smith, who moved to second on a bunt and to third on a wild pitch before Willis got Sutton to fly out to end the inning.
Willis issued another walk in the sixth to Onufrak which was followed up by a base hit from Walker. On the play, Onufrak attempted to reach third but was gunned down by a perfect throw from Bridgeman in right to end the inning.
Willis (7-3) was lifted in the seventh for Lewis, who inherited a runner at second base with one out. The first-team, all-conference reliever got out of the inning with a groundout and a strikeout.
ASU had more opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Onufrak and Rice collected consecutive two-out singles but were stranded as Lewis got a strikeout. In the ninth, the Jags opened the inning with a single and had the tying run at third with two outs, but Lewis struck out Sutton to end the game.
Lewis was named the tournament's MVP for collecting the save, his ninth of the year. He also had two wins during the tournament in his three appearances. Shipman (8-3) took the loss despite his complete-game effort, using 120 pitches to strike out seven with only three hits allowed.
Haley, Coker and Parnell were the only Braves to collect a hit with Mayoz and Parnell driving in the two runs. Coker had the only extra base hit for UNCP with his double in the first.
For ASU, Onufrak finished 2-for-3 while Walker and Casey Hanrahan were both 2-for-4. Kevin Dodson had a pair of sacrifice bunts and no Jaguar had an extra-base hit.
UNC Pembroke now advances to the NCAA Southeast Regional, which begins on Friday, May 20, at a site to be determined. The tournament field will be announced on Sunday, May 15.
The contest marked the final appearance in a Jaguar uniform for seven ASU seniors: left-handed pitcher Joah Evans, catcher Casey Hanrahan, infielder/designated hitter Andy Onufrak, right-handed pitcher Stephen Ramsey, first baseman Tristan Toorie, centerfielder Alex Walker and student assistant coach Alex Sickman.
