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By: Stephen Williams

AMERICUS, Ga. – The Columbus State University baseball team needed a few extra innings, but came away with a series sweep of Georgia Southwestern with a pair victories on Sunday. The Peach Belt Conference games were played at Hurricane Stadium in Americus.
 
The Cougars took the opening game 12-4 in easy fashion before outlasting the Hurricanes 10-8 in 13 innings in the second.
 
Columbus State will play its fourth straight road contest on Wednesday, as the Cougars travel to Albany, Ga. to take on Albany State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Game One
 
The Cougars came out swinging in game one as CSU put a seven spot on the board in the second. Blake Edwards and Lake Hart drew walks to begin the inning before Grant Berry singled to load the bases for Tyler Fichter. Fichter continued the hit parade as he drove home the first run of the game with an infield single.
 
Jackson Oliver followed and crushed a double to centerfield to plate two more to put the Cougars on top 3-0. The damage wasn't over yet as Chris Daniel delivered CSU's fourth straight hit in the inning with a single to right that allowed Fichter and Oliver to cross the plate.
 
After Mike McClellan recorded CSU's fifth hit of the inning, Matt Nettles stepped to the plate and hit his team leading 11^th home run of the year to put the Cougars ahead 7-0.
 
That would be all Albert Harless would need as the Cougar starter had one of his best performances of the year. The Hurricanes were only able to get single runs off of the righty in the third and sixth innings. For the game, Harless (4-2) tossed eight innings allowing just the two runs while striking out five.
 
Columbus State (26-10, 12-6 PBC) continued to add insurance runs in the third and fourth as Oliver and Edwards both doubled home a run in the respective frames to give the Cougars a 9-1 advantage.
 
The Cougars capped off their scoring in the seventh with three runs. Edwards got the inning started with a walk before taking second on a failed pick-off attempt. With Edwards now in scoring position, Fichter placed a perfect single down the left field line allowing Edwards to scamper home.
 
In the next at-bat, Oliver tallied one of the rarest plays in baseball as the senior hit an inside the park home run as he sent a gapper to the right-centerfield wall. The homer put the Cougars up 12-1.
 
Georgia Southwestern (17-19, 3-18) was able to get two unearned runs in the ninth thanks to two Cougar fielding blunders.
 
Oliver had one of his best games of his career going 4-for-6 with five RBIs. The senior had two runs, two doubles, a stolen base and the homer. Fichter was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
 
Game Two
 
The scoring started early for the Cougars in the second game as CSU got a two-run home run from Christian Miller in the top of the first inning.
 
Georgia Southwestern tied the game up with a run in the first and third on two RBI singles from Dakota Long.
 
Justin Evans led off the Cougar fourth with a single to left and Hunter Bowling worked a work to put a pair on. Fichter moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Oliver continued driving in runs with a sacrifice fly to give CSU a 3-2 lead.
 
The lead would be short-lived though, as GSW took advantage of a CSU error and a Devyn Newberry single tied the game at three.
 
Columbus State scored the next four runs of the game and appeared to put the game out of reach.

Miller launched his second home run of the game in the fifth to give the Cougars the lead back at 5-4. Ryan Ihle tripled home Fichter in the sixth and McClellan brought Fichter across the plate with a single later in the inning to stretch the lead to three.
 
Two innings later, McClellan got in on the home run act with a long drive to centerfield to make it a 7-3 game.
 
However, the Cougars couldn't close the door in the ninth as the 'Canes rallied back. A leadoff single and two walks loaded the bases with only one out and Long added another RBI knock to bring GSW within three.
 
Zach Barron then doubled home a pair and Brett Burgess tied the game at seven with a sacrifice fly.
 
Georgia Southwestern threatened in the 10^th and 11^th innings, but the Cougar defense stepped up to the challenge. CSU turned a 4-6-3 double play to get out of trouble in the 10^th and then Oliver doubled off a runner at second to send the game to the 12^th.
 
In the 12^th, Nettles doubled with one out to put a runner in scoring position. Daniel then pinch hit for the Cougars and came up large. The senior sent the eighth pitch he saw back through the middle allowing Nettles to race home and score the go-ahead run.
 
After retiring the first two hitters in the bottom half, an error and a wild pitch put the tying run on third base. An infield single brought the run across the plate and kept the game going.
 
As the game moved to the 13^th, the middle of the CSU order came through again. Ihle walked with one out and McClellan singled to give Columbus State runners on the corners. Miller added another RBI to his tally with a single to right field that put CSU in front and Edwards made it 10-8 with a sacrifice fly.
 
GSW wouldn't go quietly in its half of the inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for the 'Canes in the 13^th. Sean Muller came on with the bases loaded and was able to punch out the only hitter he faced to give the Cougars the marathon victory.
 
The Cougars had 15 hits in the nightcap, led by Ihle (3-for-6), McClellan (3-for-6) and Miller (3-for-7). Miller drove in four runs including his two home runs.
 
Seven different pitchers toed the rubber for the Cougars. Robert Hayes (2-1) recorded all but one out in the extra frames to earn the victory. He gave up one unearned run in 3.2 innings of work. With the last strikeout, Muller tallied his first save of the season.
 
Caleb Kutsche started the game for the Cougars, giving up just two earned runs over six innings.