Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 AMERICUS, Ga. - The Columbus State University baseball team advances to the final day of the first weekend of the PBC Tournament. CSU lost their first game against Georgia Southwestern 8-10 and defeated the Augusta Jaguars 11-10 to keep their tournament hopes alive.

GAME ONE: L 8-10
The Cougars came out swinging as they scored three runs in the first inning to set the tone against the Hurricanes highlighted by a Derek Wylie single to right field to score two. GSW would battle back in the third inning by putting up a three spot of their own with a three RBI single to tie things up. Both starting pitchers settled in after to keep the game 3-3 going into the seventh. 

The seventh inning was a wild one as both teams combined for 11 runs in the inning. Columbus State took the lead in the top half with a bases loaded double off the bat of Matthew McDade to center field that cleared the bases. Colby Brabston knocked in McDade as a pinch hitter a batter later to give the Cougars a four run cushion. Georgia Southwestern exploded for seven runs in the bottom half as they knocked around Cougar pitching by scoring seven runs on five hits. The Hurricanes also drew three free passes in the inning.

Trace Twardoski got one back for the Cougars in the eighth inning with a sac-fly to right field to score Connor Kirley. Leo Giannoni was nails for the Cougars in relief as he collected four outs while striking out two.

GAME TWO: W 11-10
With Augusta winning their first game today against Georgia College and Columbus State dropping their first game, it set up a matchup between the Cougars and Jaguars for the fourth time this season. Both teams had great starting pitching through the first three innings as both starters only allowed five hits combined till the fourth. 

The Jaguars exploded for seven runs in the top of the fourth with five singles and three free passes in the inning. The rest of the game the Cougars were in scratch and claw mode. Colby Brabston laced a two-run single in the bottom half of the fourth to score Win Johns and Derek Wylie. CSU then scored two more runs in the fifth with RBI singles from Derek Wylie and Trace Twardoski. Wylie and Twardoski were on-base machines as they got on a combined six times in the game.
The Cougars continued their steady comeback with two more runs in the sixth inning. Isaac Bouton roped a double down the left field line to score one for CSU. This was Bouton's first of two RBI's in the game. Trace Twardoski knocked in his second RBI of the game with a groundout to the infield to score Ian King.

Columbus State broke through in a major way in the seventh inning as they put up five runs on three hits. Ian King tied the ballgame up at seven a piece with a sac-fly. Isaac Bouton gave the Cougars the lead with a single to right for his second RBI of the game. Both Wylie and Twardoski had RBI walks later on in the inning. 

Johnny Dow was fantastic in his relief appearance as he shut down the Augusta offense and gave the Cougars a chance at their comeback. Dow tossed 3.2 innings while striking out four batters and only giving up one earned run. He turned it over to the CSU closer, Peyton Burton, and he converted his eighth save of the season with a perfect 1-2-3 inning. 

UP NEXT:
Columbus State has earned the right to face off against the top-seeded Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes on Sunday, May 7 at 12 p.m. Since CSU is coming out of the losers bracket they will have to defeat GSW twice for the right to play in the PBC Baseball Tournament Championship series next weekend.