COLUMBUS - Five early runs were plenty for the No. 11 Columbus State University baseball team and starter Tyler Cadenhead as the Cougars recorded an 8-1 midweek victory over No. 23 West Georgia. The nonconference game took place at Ragsdale Field at Burger King Stadium.

After the Cougars scored three runs in the first, Cadenhead cruised to the second complete game of his career. The senior tied a career-high with seven strikeouts while helping extend Columbus State's winning streak to 11. 

"Tyler just keeps going out there every week and wins," commented head coach Greg Appleton. "If you look back over the past few years, we have won most of our midweek games, and that's a testament to Tyler's good work."

"It was great to see the offense getting going early. They made a few adjustments on us, but those late insurance runs were nice. This weekend will be a challenge because USC Aiken is well-coached and has plenty of talent."

Cadenhead worked around a leadoff hit to begin the game before the Cougar offense went to work. With two outs, Robert Brooks got a rally started with a walk before Bryson Horne was hit by a pitch with two strikes. Drew Webb took advantage of the situation by doubling into right-centerfield to make it 2-0. The Cougars weren't finish as Dane Bullock followed with a sharply hit double down the leftfield line to plate Webb.

In the bottom of the second, another double by CSU, this one by Connor Kirley, put a runner into scoring position for the top of the order. David Meadows went with an outside pitch and hit it into right field to put the Cougars on top by four.

After Cadenhead retired his eighth hitter in the row to finish the third, Columbus State (18-3) continued its early barrage. Horne hit another Cougar two-bagger to open things up before Webb collected his second hit of the day. Following a pitching change, a West Georgia error helped make it 5-0.

West Georgia (13-7) finally ended Cadenhead's streak of consecutive outs in the fifth with a one-out single. Prior to the single, the righty had set down 12 in a row. However, a groundball double-play got Cadenhead and the Cougars out of the inning.

Columbus State went ahead 8-0 in the eighth after adding three insurance runs. The Cougars loaded the bases after a Bullock single and two walks that turned the order back around to Meadows. A hard-hit ball off the bat from the junior wasn't able to be corralled at third allowing Bullock and Matthew McDade to touch the plate. Isaac Bouton capped off the scoring with a single just out of the reach of the shortstop.

Ethan Brant put the only blemish on Cadenhead's record on the day with a solo homer to begin the ninth. The senior tossed four perfect innings on Wednesday. 

Bouton (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Webb (2-for-4, 2B, run, 2 RBIs), Bullock (2-for-4, 2B, run, RBI) all had two hits on the afternoon.

Up Next

A three-game Peach Belt Conference series is on tap for the Cougars as they travel to Aiken, S.C. to take on rivals USC Aiken. The series will begin on Friday, March 13 at 6 p.m. at Roberto Hernandez Stadium.

Cougar Notes & Trends

• The 11-game winning streak for Columbus State is the longest since 2018 when the Cougars rattled off 16 straight victories.
• CSU is 15-2 over the last 17 games.
• It was the first complete game for Cadenhead since the 2018 PBC Tournament when he fired a nine innings in CSU's 7-2 win over Young Harris. Cadenhead's other seven strikeout performance happened on March 7, 2018, against Auburn Montgomery.
• Cadenhead is 2-1 in 2020 allowing just five earned runs in 23 innings of work. The home run in the ninth snapped a streak of 18.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
• It was the first complete game by any Cougar pitcher in 2020.
• Columbus State tied a season-high with five doubles.
• Meadows (7), Horne (6), and Bullock (5) all extended their hitting streaks on Wednesday. Horne has now reached base in 14 straight while Bouton's streak stands at 11.
• Bullock leads the Peach Belt Conference with 11 doubles. The senior also ranks inside the top-five at the NCAA Division II level.