Like Columbus State Athletics on Facebook!
Tweet #GoCSU

By: Stephen Williams

FLORENCE, S.C. – After rallying from five down in the top of the ninth inning, the fourth-seeded Columbus State University baseball team lost 11-10 in 10 innings to eighth-seeded Georgia Southwestern on Thursday evening. The Peach Belt Conference Tournament contest was played at Sparrow Stadium.
 
The loss ends the Cougars' season at 29-21 overall after a fourth-place regular season finish in the PBC.
 
"This is obviously a disappointing result," head coach Greg Appleton said. "This group kept fighting until the very end, but you have to give Georgia Southwestern credit tonight. They had an answer every time we made a push."
 
Trailing 9-4 entering the ninth inning, Columbus State had just three outs left to work with facing elimination.
 
The GSW closer came out of the bullpen and proceeded to walk three consecutive hitters to start the inning, and then hit Bryce Delevie to force home the first run.
 
After a pitching change, pinch hitter Jamal Howard crushed an opposite field double to right that brought two more runs home and cut the deficit down to 9-7. Tyler Fichter followed with a line drive that deflected off the first baseman's glove allowing two more runs to score to tie the game.
 
Justin Evans capped off the six-run ninth with a sacrifice fly, giving the Cougars their first lead of the night.
 
Needing just three outs to keep the season going, CSU gave up a two-out RBI single that tied the game at 10 and sent it to extra innings.
 
In the top of the 10^th, Grant Berry and Drew Webb each singled to start the inning. After a fielder's choice erased the lead runner, Webb stole third to put runners on the corners with one out.
 
Following a strikeout, Fichter hit a groundball down the third base line that was picked up on a backhand and a long throw just beat the senior to the bag to keep the game tied.

Georgia Southwestern (20-28) used a hit and two Cougar errors in the bottom half of the inning to walk off with the victory.
 
CSU was forced to play from behind for most of the night as the Hurricanes plated a pair of runs in the second inning.
 
Mason McClellan knocked in Fichter with a single in the third and then again with a double in the fifth to knot it up at two apiece.
 
GSW quickly went back in front however, getting four runs in the bottom of the fifth, two in the seventh and one more in the eighth.
 
The Cougars slowly chipped away at the lead prior to the comeback in the ninth. Gunar Drinnen picked up a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Austin Collins singled home a run in the seventh.
 
Fichter and McClellan each had three-hit ballgames to lead the Cougars. Fichter was on base in six of seven trips to the plate and scored three runs. Berry and Delevie added multi-hit games of their own.