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By: Josh Fuller

COLUMBUS – For the second consecutive day, the Columbus State University baseball team got a complete game performance to down eighth-ranked USC Aiken 8-1 Saturday. The middle game of the three-game Peach Belt Conference series took place at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field.
 
Brandon Koehler (4-1) tossed the nine-inning gem allowing just one run on seven hits. He struck out four while hitting two batters.
 
Mason McClellan drove in three, including two on a double, while Justin Evans finished 3-for-5 with two runs and two stolen bases.
 
"We played another complete game today," said head coach Greg Appleton. "We threw the ball well, got hits when we needed them and played some great defense. This has been a great weekend, but we need to finish it off tomorrow."
 
After Koehler stranded two on in the first, Columbus State (15-8, 9-2 PBC) took the early lead thanks to good fundamental baseball. Tyler Fichter and Evans started the inning with back-to-back singles before a wild pitch moved both up. With one out, Mason McClellan skied a ball to right to make it 1-0.
 
USC Aiken tied the game in the third with a two-out single through the right side of the infield.
 
However, the game didn't stay tied for long as Evans and Turner Vincent each had singles to reach base with one out in the third. With Vincent going on the pitch, Mason McClellan laced a double into the left-centerfield gap to put the Cougars up 3-1.
 
CSU added single runs in the fourth and fifth in similar fashion. Drew Webb had a sacrifice fly in the fourth scoring Grant Berry, while Lake Hart pushed a run across an inning later with a sacrifice fly to right.
 
The Cougars put the game away in the sixth scoring three runs on four hits. Bryce Delevie had a one-out double to get things going before Webb reached on an infield hit. After a wild pitch moved Webb to second, Fichter chopped a single over the drawn in infield to score both runners. Fichter scored later in the inning on a Vincent single.

Koehler retired the side in order in four of the nine innings, including throwing a perfect ninth.
 
Fichter finished with a 2-for-5 day with two RBIs and two runs scored while Vincent also had a two-hit day.
 
Columbus State and USC Aiken cap off the weekend series Sunday at 1 p.m.