MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The No. 8 Columbus State University bats stayed hot on Wednesday as the Cougars ran away with a 15-4 victory over Auburn University at Montgomery in a non-conference game at the AUM Baseball Complex.  

Matthew McDade was 3-for-5 with two home runs for CSU, including blasting a grand slam in the Cougar five-run seventh. He finished the day with five RBIs, while Steven Minter was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, thanks to a three-run homer in the fifth.

"The guys didn't get frustrated today and stayed with it until the runs came," added head coach Greg Appleton. "We need to sure up the defense heading into the weekend, but we will take the win for sure."

It was scoreless until the two sides exchanged single runs in the third. AUM (9-5) went up 3-1 in the fourth after two errors aided the Warhawks to a two-run inning. 

The lead didn't last long though. McDade led off the fifth with a solo homer before Minter delivered his three-run shot later in the inning to put the Cougars ahead 5-3.

AUM (9-5) got a run back in the sixth when another Cougar error led off the inning, but Columbus State put the game out of reach in the top half of the seventh. Robert Brooks began the inning with a single to center before a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Seth Nelson. Nelson added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly before Colby Brabston drew a walk to reload the bases for McDade. The junior pulled the homer over the left-field wall for the grand slam to put the CSU on top 10-4.

Columbus State (10-2) continued to add on with a Minter RBI single in the eighth before a four-run ninth. Bouton, Brooks, Derek Wylie and Win Johns all drove in runs to push the margin to 15-4.

David Meadows (3-for-5, 3 runs, RBI) and Brooks (3-for-5, 2 runs, RBI) also had three hits along with Minter and McDade.

Five Cougars saw action on the mound in the win. Chandler Ring started the game, pitching two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Zack Brockman (2-0) picked up the win after allowing just one unearned run in 2.1 innings. He didn't allow a hit in the outing. Austin Elliot (2 IP, 2 K's) and Logan Seehafer (1 IP, 1 K) tossed the final three innings.

UP NEXT
Columbus State will host Quincy University in a four-game series at Burger King Stadium beginning on Friday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. 

COUGAR NOTES
• It's the third two-homer game for McDade in his career
• The Cougars have scored 15 or more runs in five games this season
• Minter is 8-for-14 (.571) over the last four games with five RBIs
• Bouton, Connor Kirley and Steven Minter have reached base safely in all 12 games this season
• Columbus State snapped AUM's nine-game winning streak. It was the longest streak for the Warhawks since 2016
• The Cougars improve to 29-10 all-time against AUM