Box Score AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Augusta University baseball team opened play in their final Peach Belt Conference series of the season on Friday afternoon at Lake Olmstead Stadium. The Jaguars came surging back from a seven-run deficit in regulation and pulled out a 16-15 win in the 10th inning. Augusta posted a season high 19 hits in the series-opening game.
Augusta (18-23, 9-13 PBC) plays a doubleheader on Saturday, April 22 against Lander (19-26, 10-12 PBC) beginning at 3:00 p.m. at Roberto Hernandez Stadium in Aiken, S.C.
The Jaguars will now celebrate 2017 Senior Day in between games of the doubleheader on Saturday. Augusta will recognize seniors Jamal Cummings, Clint Hardy, Cole Janousek, Tristan Jones, Matthew Kuhlenberg, Cody Lanford, Cody Pugh, Tyler Roberts, Joey Stillwell, Will Thompson, and Chance Warnock.
Jags junior Brent Alford went 4-for-5 with two runs, Roberts had three RBI on two hits, and Wagner was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBI. Lanford scored three times for Augusta and had two hits and two RBI, Cummings and freshman Carrington Evans each had two hits, and freshman Jake Bogosian posted two hits and scored a run.
Lander logged three runs on three hits in the first inning, but AU got one back when Roberts scored Lanford on an opposite-field groundball. The Bearcats booked five runs in the top of the fourth, but Augusta responded with six runs on four hits in the fifth inning to make it 8-7.
Wagner and Lanford knocked singles to score two quick runs, before two scored on a hit from Hardy with the bases loaded. A groundball to the right side and an infield error scored two more Jaguars in the big fifth inning.
Down 10-8 in the eighth, Augusta got one run back when Hardy scored Alford on a sacrifice fly to left field. In the next at bat, Cummings beat out a groundball that scored Wagner for a 10-10 tie game. A single from Evans and a triple off the bat off Janousek put the Jags up 13-10, but Lander put up four in the ninth.
Roberts scored sophomore Will Zimmer on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for a 14-14 game after regulation. Junior Casey Lenoch (4-2) started the 10th inning on the mound for Augusta and gave up a solo homer to Alec Dowell.
In their at last, the Jags found life when Wagner and Lanford came up big for two hits. Freshman Adam Spurlin pinch ran after Bogosian reached on a fielder's choice and he scored on a single up the middle from Wagner. Lanford dropped in a single to left field to score Colin Dominy for the game-winning run.
Lenoch (4-2) got the win in an inning of relief work. Senior right hander Tristan Jones struck out five in his 3.1 innings pitched and surrendered eight hits for eight runs in the start. Pugh took over the mound in the fourth inning and recorded 2.1 innings to allow three hits for two runs, while striking out three, before Stillwell pitched 3.1 innings and struck out three.
Slinger Sam Linn started for Lander and pitched 4.1 innings to allow seven hits for seven runs (two earned). Robbie Hoyt tossed two innings, before Marshall Thompson, Joseph Whitt, and Tripper Ergle each pitched. Whitt got the loss for LU.
Colton Yeagar, Nathan Schreckengost, Alec Dowell, and Mason Dodd all had three hits to guide Lander.
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