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COLUMBUS - The Columbus State University baseball team won their eleventh straight game at home taking down West Georgia 8-7 Wednesday. The game took place at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field.
In a game that went back and forth the Cougars jumped in front for the final time in the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to a two-run home run from
Dane Bullock, his second home run of the game. Trailing 7-6,
Frank Wager led the inning off with a single before Bullock drilled a first pitch swing off the foul pole in left field.
"It was a great day to hit but boy was it a tough day for both teams out there on the mound," said head coach
Greg Appleton. "It came down to that big home run from Dane and then it was huge for us to get someone like Dudal coming in and picking up strikeouts. We've got to come out with more intensity but we'll take the win and move on to Lander."
Bullock opened the scoring for Columbus State in the bottom of the second inning sending a first pitch swing into left field cutting into the 2-0 deficit with a solo home run.
Drew Webb would follow suit later in the inning hitting a two-run two-out home run to give the Cougars their first lead of the game. It was Webb's third long ball this season.
Yet West Georgia would immediately respond plating two runs in the next frame to put them back in front. In the bottom of the third, Columbus State got their chance to answer and they did after
Robert Brooks jacked a solo shot to left center to tie the game a 4-apiece.
CSU had a chance in the fourth inning to reclaim the lead but would strand the bases-loaded with one out after hitting into a double play. They'd get a similar opportunity in the fifth as Wager hit an RBI-single followed up by
Chase Brown getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded allowing the Cougars to jump back on top 6-4.
Once again though, the lead would disappear quickly as the Wolves put up a three-spot in the top of the sixth to go ahead 7-6.
But that would be the final run for the UWG though as the Cougar pitching duo of
Sheridan Coy and
Devin Dudal shut them out the rest of the way. Dudal grabbed his fifth save of the year striking out the final five batters of the game to preserve the lead, giving the Cougars their 14
th win of the season.
Coy (4-0) picked up his fourth win this year throwing one inning giving up no hits with one strikeout.
Bullock finished 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring twice while picking up three RBI's on his fifth and sixth home runs of the season. Brook went 2-for-4 scoring twice on top of grabbing the RBI on his solo home run. Webb drew two walks while going 1-for-2 with two RBI's and a home run in the win.
Columbus State will head back on the road this upcoming weekend for a three-game series against Lander starting Friday, March 15. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Greenwood, S.C.
