COLUMBUS - Down 7-0 after four innings, the Columbus State University baseball team came roaring back for a 10-9 victory to claim a three-game series over perennial powers Florida Southern on Sunday. The nonconference game took place at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field in Columbus.
After Florida Southern (5-2) scored four runs in the fourth, including hitting two homers, the Mocs looked to be cruising to an easy victory. CSU got on the board in the bottom half of the frame thanks in part to David Meadows' speed. He singled to begin the frame before swiping second. He found later himself on third, and a wild pitch allowed him to come scampering across the plate for the first Cougar run of the day. Later in the inning, Drew Webb knocked in Robert Brooks to make it 7-2.
However, the Mocs quickly regain those runs back. In the fifth, FSC's third home run of the day made it 9-2 making CSU's hopes grimer.
Columbus State's faith changed in the sixth. The first eight batters reached to begin the frame with a Bryson Horne single beginning the rally. Webb was hit by a pitch before Bullock ripped a double down the leftfield line to plate the pair. Will Wilbanks and Matthew McDade followed with singles to load the bases for the hot-swinging Connor Kirley. The sophomore would continue his torrid pace with a two-run RBI single into the right-center gap to make the score 9-6.
Florida Southern would turn to the pen, but Chase Pilato found no success, walking the only two batters he faced, including Isaac Bouton with the bases loaded to pull CSU within two. Tim Sabo calmed things down for a moment, but Columbus State added another run to the margin on a sacrifice fly in Horne's second plate appearance of the inning.
Entering his third full inning of the afternoon, freshman Noah Windhorst saved his best stuff for last. FSC got a one-out single in the seventh before a wild pitch put a runner into scoring position. However, Windhorst found a strikeout and grounder to escape unharmed.
That set up the dramatic bottom of the seventh. Bullock didn't waste to set the table as he ripped the first pitch he saw into right field for a single to bring up Wilbanks. On a 3-1 pitch, the sophomore pulled a home run over the right-field wall to give CSU its first lead of the game at 10-9.
Windhorst continued to deal. He struck out two in the eighth before Cougar head coach Greg Appleton sent him back to the mound to slam the door shut in the ninth. The Mocs got a one-out walk to make things interesting, but Windhorst and the CSU defense kept its cool. During the next at-bat, CSU went around the horn for a 5-4-3 game-ending double play.
The freshman was awarded his first collegiate victory after tossing 5.1 innings in relief. He struck out five while allowing two runs, both on the two-run homer in the fifth.
Jamie Boatright got the start allowing seven runs, six earned, in 3.2 innings.
Columbus State had a very balanced lineup on Sunday as all nine starters collected a hit. Five players had two with Bullock, Kirly, and Wilbanks all driving in a pair.
Columbus State will play its first midweek game of the season on Tuesday, Feb. 11 traveling to Albany, Ga. to play Albany State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Cougar Trends
• Windhorst only allowed two bases runners to reach over the final three innings of play.
• The Cougars improve to 18-1 in their last 19 nonconference games.
• Brooks and Webb each extended their respected streaks on Sunday. Brooks has now reached base in 15 straight games while Webb boasts a 10 game hitting streak. Both date back to the 2019 season.
• The Cougar offense has posted 10 or more hits in five of the six games this season. CSU fell one shy of a season-high with 14 on Sunday.
• In the series, Wilbanks was 6-for-11, including going 5-for-7 over Saturday and Sunday. He had four RBIs in the series with two extra-base hits. On the season, the lefty is hitting .474 with a 1.354 OPS. The go-ahead homer in the eighth was the sophomore's first colligate home run.
• Florida Southern still leads the all-time series 10-8, but the Cougars have now won three of the four previous meetings.
