AUGUSTA, Ga. – No. 18 Augusta fell in game three of the Peach Belt Conference series to No. 23 Columbus State 20-7 on Sunday afternoon at Jaguar Field.

Augusta (27-14, 16-8 PBC) dropped the opening two games of the series to Columbus State (33-10, 18-6 PBC) and put up 14 hits in game three, but CSU knocked 20 hits for 20 runs.

With the series sweep, Columbus State is on an 11 game win streak and took first place in the PBC.

Augusta sophomore Jim Wagner went 3-4 with two RBI and senior Nick Rau was 2-4 with two runs and an RBI. Junior Tyler Roberts scored a run and produced two hits, senior Connor Gilbert went 2-5 with an RBI, and senior Drew Taylor and Hunter Boose and sophomore Gage Patton all had a hit, with Taylor hitting his sixth home run.

CSU's Matt Nettles hit a first inning grand slam to open scoring and Augusta senior Drew Taylor sparked the Jags' offense with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the opening inning for a 4-1 game.

Jags junior Will Thompson (5-3) made his 11th start for the Jags and surrendered two more runs in the second inning before Augusta got one in the second with a Jamal Cummings liner up the middle that plated Rau.

W. Thompson pitched 3.1 innings and gave up eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits while striking out five. Freshman Aron Chick came out of the bullpen in the fourth inning and pitched 2.1 innings before the Jags unloaded the bullpen.

The Cougars tacked on one in the third, fourth, and fifth, and four in the sixth to lead a 9-3 game. In the bottom of the sixth Augusta enjoyed their biggest inning of the game. Rau rattled off his second hit of the game and scored Boose who started the inning with a double in the gap.

A sacrifice fly from Cummings with the bases loaded plated senior Cole Thompson and sophomore Jim Wagner made it a 13-6 game with an opposite-field knock to left field.

CSU starter Caleb Kutsche (4-1) was pulled midway in the sixth inning after pitching 5.2 innings. Kutsche gave up 11 hits for six runs before Kyle Peals took over the mound.

Augusta was down 13-6 with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, but Peals dealt a strikeout to get out of the inning. Columbus State poured on seven runs in the eighth and took an eventual 20-7 final score.

Tyler Fitrcher went 4-6 with four runs, Jackson Oliver and Mike McClellan each had three hits with an RBI, and Ryan Ihle was 2-4 with four RBI and a run.

The Jaguars travel to Franklin Springs, Ga., to face Emmanuel College Tuesday, April 19 at 4:00 p.m. Augusta heads to UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, N.C., for their last regular-season series on the road April 22-24.

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