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By: Richard Navratil

COLUMBUS – The 10^th-ranked Columbus State University baseball team secured a series victory with an 18-17 10-inning victory over Georgia College as Christian Miller hit a walkoff sacrifice fly to lift the Cougars to the win on Saturday. The game was played at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field.

After recording 15 hits in last night's extra inning victory, the Cougars picked up 21 hits on Saturday, including four more home runs.

Miller was 1-for-2 with two crucial RBIs. The offense was led by Ryan Ihle's 4-for-5 day with a RBI while Mike McClellan was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in. Seven Cougar hitters had a multi-hit afternoon.

"We battled tough at the plate once again," said head coach Greg Appleton. "All these runs are great to see and we have needed every last one of them. We just need to make sure to come out tomorrow and end the series on a high note." 

The artillery struck early for the Cougars as CSU put up five runs in the first. GC starter Charlie Hecht got off to a rocky start for the Bobcats, hitting Blake Edwards and walking Jackson Oliver to put the first two Cougar batters on.
 
Matt Nettles would then hit a low hanging pitch over the centerfield wall for his seventh homer on the year to put the Cougars up 3-0. With one man down and runners on first and second, Ihle laid down a beautiful drag bunt to load the bases for Lake Hart. Down 1-2 in the count, Hart fisted a single over the shortstop's head to plate Chris Daniel. Tyler Fichter drove in the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
 
Georgia College (11-9, 6-5 PBC) got one of the runs back in the second on a solo homer by Brandon Purcell before Brandon Benson hit a two-run shot in the fourth to close the gap to 5-3. 

CSU would open up the game in the sixth scoring five runs to go ahead 11-3. McClellan made it an 8-3 game with a monstrous home run over the left field wall. After Hecht hit Ihle with a pitch, GC went to the bullpen for Kane Keith. Keith was greeted rudely as Hart hit a three-run blast to left giving the Cougars a comfortable lead. 

After GC scored two in the seventh, Columbus State (19-4, 7-1 PBC) answered with a four-run inning of its own. Ihle, McClellan and Miller each had RBI singles while Hart drove one home on a groundout to put the Cougars up 15-5.

From there, the Georgia College comeback was on. The Bobcats scored nine runs in the eighth to make it a just a one run game. The Cougars had to use three pitchers in the frame with Tyler Giesel delivering the big blow with a two-out grand slam to make it a 15-14 game.

Edwards added an insurance run for the Cougars in the eighth, hitting a leadoff homer to left.
 
Georgia College didn't go down quietly in the ninth. The first two Bobcat hitters singled before a failed sacrifice bunt gave CSU its first out of the inning. The Cougars were one out away from victory following a fly out, but Logan Mattix had different plans. On a 1-1 pitch, Mattix drove a ball over the right field fence to give GC a 17-16 lead. It was the first lead of the game for the Bobcats.

Needing magic once again, the Cougars delivered. Back-to-back one-out singles by Grant Berry and Ihle put the tying run on second before GC recorded a strikeout for the second out of the frame. Down to the final out, Fichter came up clutch, singling to left field to tie the game at 17.

Kolton Ingram pitched a scoreless 10^th to give the Cougars a chance for its second straight walkoff win.

The bottom of the 10^th started out perfect for CSU as Olvier singled up the middle before Nettles drew a walk. McClellan was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Miller, who lofted a ball to right field for the walkoff sacrifice fly.

Albert Harless got the start for the Cougars tossing six innings allowing five runs on six hits. He struck out four while walking three. Ingram (2-0) was the lone Cougar reliever to not allow a run. 
 
Georgia College was led by Mattix's 3-for-6 performance. Wommack, Benson and Cody each had two RBIs.
 
The Cougars will return to Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field on Sunday looking for the series sweep over Georgia College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.