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By: Josh Fuller

COLUMBUS - Having to wait one extra day to begin play in the NCAA Southeast Regional, top-seeded and fifth-ranked Columbus State University dropped a pair of games Saturday to be eliminated from postseason play. The NCAA Southeast Regional is being hosted by CSU at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field in Columbus.

The Cougars dropped their first game of the regional to fourth-seeded and 19th-ranked USC Aiken 8-5 in 10 innings before seventh-seeded Mount Olive defeated the Cougars 7-2.

"It was disappointing in how our season ended," said head coach Greg Appleton. "We needed to bring more energy than what we did today.

"Having said that, no one can take away from what this group of guys accomplished this year. There aren't many teams that can say they won a regular season conference championship and a tournament championship in the same season. They truly are a family and I know they are disappointed."

Columbus State ended the season with a 42-14 record, the seventh 40-win season in the Appleton era.

Game One 

It was an inauspicious start for Columbus State in game one against USC Aiken as the Pacers scored two runs in the top of the first. After CSU starter Albert Harless retired the opening batter of the game, a single and a walk put the Pacers in business. With Zach Moon at the plate, a costly error gave USC Aiken its first run of the game while a sacrifice fly allowed USCA to push across another run.

USC Aiken made it 3-0 in the fourth with one swing of the bat as Tyler Ammerman hit a solo homer with two outs over the left field wall.

The powerful Cougar offense finally got going in its half of the fourth. Ryan Ihle led the inning off with a sharp single to center before Cole Lee struck out the next two hitters he faced. However, senior Blake Edwards launched his ninth homer of the year to pull the Cougars within one.

It was Ammerman again in the sixth who came through in the clutch. With a runner on second and two outs in the sixth, Ammerman laced a single through the left side of the infield to make it a 4-2 game.

After the Pacers got another solo homer from Mitchell Price in the seventh, the Cougars started to roar back. In the eighth, CSU loaded the bases without a hit bringing up Christian Miller. Miller delivered chopping a single over the first baseman's head to chase home two runs.

CSU nearly missed out on the opportunity to tie the game, but a USC Aiken error with two outs allowed pinch runner Grant Berry to cross the plate to tie the game at five. 

Both teams sent just three hitters to the plate in the ninth before USC Aiken struck for three in the 10th. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Pacers before Ammerman struck again. Ammerman lined a hit into the left-centerfield gap clearing the bases and putting USC Aiken up 8-5.

The Cougars got a Matt Nettles double in the bottom of the 10th, but that was all as CSU fell into the loser's bracket. 

Edwards was the lone Columbus State player to record two hits as the senior was 2-for-5 with the two-run homer. Miller had a pair of RBIs as well for the Cougars.

Harless tossed six innings in the no-decision effort. He allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked six while striking out four. Robert Hayes (2-2) took the loss after tossing 3.2 strong innings allowing just two runs on two hits.

Game Two

Playing as the visitors, Columbus State jumped out first on Mount Olive. After Brighton Hudson retired the first two hitters he faced, Mike McClellan launched a 1-1 pitch over the left-centerfield wall to put the Cougars up 1-0. It was the senior's 19th homer of the year.

However from there, it was all Mount Olive. The Trojans scored seven unanswered runs from the second until the fourth to go up 7-1 on the Cougars.

UMO hit a solo homer in the second before scoring five runs in the third. Stephen Wallace hit a two-run homer in the third while Brett Lang drove home another pair with a double to left-center.

In the fourth, a throwing error by the Cougars allowed another Trojan runner to cross the plate.

Columbus State had base runners all over the place across the final five innings, but could never get the big hit. The Cougars stranded seven over the final five innings including leaving the bases loaded in the ninth.

McClellan and Miller each had three-hit days for the Cougars. Nettles was 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI.

Luke Porter (6-1) took the loss after allowing six runs over 2.1 innings of work. Brandon Koehler pitched well in relief allowing just one hit over four innings.