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By:
Josh Fuller
MONTEVALLO, ALA. – A two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave Montevallo an 8-7 victory over the 21
st-ranked Columbus State University baseball team Saturday afternoon. The Peach Belt Conference game took place at Kermit Johnson Field in Montevallo.
CSU was up 6-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh where the Falcons erupted for four runs to tie the game, including hitting a three-run home run off Cougar starter
Brandon Koehler.
The Cougars were able to come right back in the eighth to grab a 7-6 lead.
Mason McClellan started a two-out rally with a single to left before
Lake Hart ripped a double to left-center putting the Cougars back in front.
Perez Knowles threw a perfect eighth and retired the first two hitters he faced in the bottom of the ninth for the Cougars before a crucial error extended the inning. The next batter gave the Falcons the walkoff win with the two-run homer to left.
Every Columbus State (18-10, 10-4 PBC) player recorded a hit on the day, including
Bryce Delevie who had a big day. He finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Gunnar Drinnen (2-for-5) and
Drew Webb (2-for-4) also had good days while
Grant Berry posted a 3-for-5 performance.
On the hill, Koehler pitched well until the latter stages of the game. The righty allowed six runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings. He struck out a pair. Knowles allowed two unearned runs in 2.1 innings of work.
In the third, Columbus State put a three spot on the board. After an error extended the inning, McClellan and Hart both drew walks to load the bases. Delevie stepped up and cleared the bases with a double to right to make it 3-0.
An inning later, the Cougars made it 4-0 as Drinnen hit a ground-rule double to start the inning. After moving to third on a wild pitch,
Tyler Fichter put the ball in play to score Drinnen.
It was Drinnen again that produced scoring for Columbus State in the fifth. Once again, the Cougars got a two-out rally started as Delevie singled to right followed by a Berry single. Drinnen then laced a singled to center pushing the score to 5-0.
Montevallo got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer, but the Cougars got one of the runs back in the next frame as a
Turner Vincent single scored Webb. However, the Cougars failed to blow the game open leaving the bases loaded.
From there, the Cougar bats struggled scoring just the one run in the eighth allowing for the UM comeback.
Columbus State and Montevallo will conclude the series Sunday with first pitch at 2 p.m.
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