Like Columbus State Athletics on Facebook!
By:
Josh FullerCOLUMBUS – The 10
th-ranked Columbus State University baseball team capped off a three-game sweep over Georgia College with a 9-0 victory on Sunday. The game took place at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field in Columbus.
CSU extended its season long winning streak to nine games and improved to 20-4 on the year. The Cougars are 8-1 now in Peach Belt Conference play.
The offense didn't wait long to get started as Columbus State scored the game's opening run in the second.
Chris Daniel worked a walk to begin the frame before
Grant Berry followed with the game's first hit. After a
Ryan Ihle sacrifice bunt,
Hunter Bowling drove in Daniel on a sacrifice fly to center.
Georgia College (11-10, 6-6 PBC) threatened in the third with a single and a walk. However, Cougar starter
Brandon Koehler got a grounder to
Blake Edwards, who stepped on the bag at third and fired it across the diamond for the double play.
The Cougars added on in their half of the inning as
Mike McClellan continued CSU's power surge with a two-run homer to right-center to put the Cougars up 3-0.
That would be plenty for Koehler, who pitched around trouble again in the fourth before shutting down GC in the fifth and sixth. Koehler improved to 5-0 on the year in the six-inning outing. He scattered five hits and three walks while striking out seven.
After being held scoreless for three innings, CSU's bats woke up again in the seventh and eighth. In the seventh,
Blake Edwards singled two home after poking a single to right while Nettles drove him in with a sharp single up the middle.
In the eighth, it was the long ball that did all the damage.
Tyler Fichter hit a towering two-run bomb for his first home run as a Cougar. Oliver followed two batters later with a solo shot to right-center.
Oliver was 2-for-4 on the day with the solo homer while Fichter was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. McClellan also drove in a pair.
Robert Hayes pitched three hitless frames to record his first save of the year.
Trevor Guthrie (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs in 5.2 innings of work.
In the series, Columbus State scored 41 runs on 46 hits. The Cougars hit 13 home runs over the three games.
Columbus State will be back in action on Tuesday, March 15 taking on Stillman. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Â
