AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, the No. 18 Augusta Jaguars couldn't hold off No. 23 Columbus State and fell 7-2 in game two of the Peach Belt Conference series at Jaguar Field.

Augusta (27-13, 16-7 PBC) and Columbus State (32-10, 17-6 PBC) combined for 36 hits in CSU's game one victory on Friday night and in game two, the Jaguars put up eight hits to the Cougars' 10.

Senior Connor Gilbert was 2-4 with home run and two RBI for the Jags, while senior Drew Taylor was 1-2 with two walks. Seniors Hunter Boose and Nick Rau, junior Jamal Cummings, and sophomore Jim Wagner all recorded one hit each for Augusta as well.

The series concludes on Sunday, April 16 for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch between Augusta and Columbus State.

Jags junior Joey Stillwell logged his eighth start and 14th appearance of the season. CSU's Mike McClellan knocked a first-inning homer for a 1-0 lead, but Stillwell held the Cougars to only two hits after three innings. He went 7.1 innings and gave up six hits for two runs while striking out four.

Augusta's defense kept it a one run game when senior catcher Cole Thompson caught a running stealing second and senior third baseman Hunter Boose turned an inning-ending double play in the second.

The Cougars scored another run in the fifth inning for a 2-0 advantage, but Gilbert lined a leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to get a run back for Augusta. C.J. Reed relieved Stilwell in the eighth inning and got out of the inning with one pitch on a groundball double play.

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Gilbert guided Augusta again with a two-out RBI single to left field to knot the game 2-2. In the top of the ninth, CSU's Christian Miller homered to right center for a 3-2 game-changing lead and the Cougars tacked on four more for a 7-2 final.

Albert Harless pitched 7.2 innings in his start for CSU to surrender six hits for one run. Chaz Wilson came on first in relief for Columbus State, before Justin Evans (3-1) entered to get the win in 1.1 innings of work. Evans gave up one hit to Jaguar sophomore Gage Patton who had a pinch-hit knock up the middle in the ninth.

Mike McClellan was 2-5 with a run and RBI, Matt Nettles went 2-3 with a run, and Jackson Oliver and Ryan Ihle each were 1-4 with an RBI for Columbus State. 

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