MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Two three-run innings helped Georgia College to a 7-3 victory over the No. 16 Columbus State University baseball team Friday night. The opening-game of the Peach Belt Conference series took placed at John Kurtz Field.

GC (9-5, 8-5 PBC) scored a run in the first, but the Cougars responded with runs in the second and third to move in front 2-1. Will Wilbanks tied the game at one after driving home Colby Brabston with a double. Brabston drew a key two-out walk to extend the inning and send Wilbanks to the plate.

Columbus State (9-4, 8-4) put together another two-out rally in the third. It was Isaac Bouton, this time with a single, to get things going to bring Robert Brooks to the plate. The fourth-year catcher sent a deep triple to right to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

A leadoff error in the bottom of the third helped Georgia College to its first three-run inning of the day. Three singles, mixed in with a sacrifice fly, gave the lead back to the Bobcats. A groundout pushed across the final run of the inning against CSU's starter Jalen Latta.

CSU did get one run back in the fourth after the duo of Brabston and Wilbanks walked and doubled for the second consecutive inning. Matthew McDade followed with a sacrifice fly. The Cougars failed to do any more damage in the inning after loading the bases. 

It would remain a one-run game until the seventh when Cassius Young led off the frame with a homer. A single chased Latta out of the game before a double made it 6-3. Two more hits in the inning, including a run-scoring single by Austin Holloway, gave GC a four-run lead.

Columbus State didn't do much against Brennan Crooms over the final two innings as a McDade was the only Cougar to reach base. 

Wilbanks was 2-for-4 with the RBI double, while Brabston scored two of CSU's three runs.

Latta (0-2) took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits. Zack Brockman (1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) and Dalton Bradford (1 IP, 2 K) made appearances out of the bullpen.

UP NEXT
Columbus State and Georgia College wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader. All the action begins at 1 p.m.

COUGAR NOTES
• Columbus State didn't hit a homer on Friday. CSU is 1-3 when failing to record a homer in a game. 
• CSU has lost three straight on the road.
• Bouton extended his on-base streak to 24 games with his single in the third.
• Dane Bullock's on-base streak was snapped at 17.
• Brooks now has a team-high 10 extra-base hits. More than half of the fourth-year junior's hits have gone for extra-bases.
• It was the third time in four games that Columbus State had four hits.