MONTGOMERY, Ala. ----- After going down 9-1 early in the contest, the Auburn Montgomery baseball team drew the deficit to within three until they ultimately dropped the first game of a home series with the Spring Hill College Badgers.

NOTES
• AUM falls to 5-7.
• Spring Hill moves to 6-8.
• The Warhawks took two of three contests from the Badgers to begin the season in Mobile, Ala.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Tanner Russell had a pair of RBI hits, one being a single and the other being a double.  He had three runs batted in all together.
• In his lone at bat of the game, Michael Tedford had an RBI single.
• Parker Moman recorded a double, walk and run scored for the Warhawks.
• Donovan Chandler went just 1-for-6 at the plate but scored three runs and stole a bag.
• Brennan Fontenot had a double, home run and five runs batted in for Spring Hill.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Badgers started off the way the drew it up when their lead-off hitter Rodriguez doubled down the left field line to begin the contest.  Two batters later, Druhan singled in Rodriguez to give the Badgers the lead with one out in the game.  Harigel, the Badgers third baseman, followed with a single.  An RBI groundout that was muffed by the AUM defense pushed the score to 2-0.  The following hitter, Harrison hit a single that brought in Harigel to push the score to 3-0.  Another fielding error by Warhawk defense, followed by an RBI single by Bolton put Auburn Montgomery in a 5-0 hole going into the bottom of the first.
• AUM provided little resistance in the bottom half and the score remained where it stood until the top of the fourth when Fontenot hit a double that landed just short of the center field fence for two more Badger runs.
• After beating out a potential double play ball, Chandler scored for the Warhawks when Russell hit a double into right center for the first AUM run.
• With two outs in the top of the sixth, Fontenot continued his eventful day by sending a 1-1 offering over the right field fence to push the Spring Hill lead to 9-1.
• Scotty Smith led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and Langley followed with a single of his own.  Some sloppy defense on a batted ball by Chandler led to Smith crossing the plate for the second AUM run.  The next hitter, Russell drove in Chandler with a single through the right side of the infield.  Warhawks trailed 9-3 through seven complete.
• John-Mark Cosby nearly led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his first big fly of the year, but the ball was tracked down just short of the right-center field fence.  However, walks by Moman and Langley, and a double by Moman loaded the bases for Auburn Montgomery with one out in the inning.  The following hitter, Chandler grounded a ball to second for another double play opportunity, but his speed on the base paths came through once again for an RBI groundout for the junior from Schereville, Ind.  Designated hitter for the day, Johnson succeeded his junior college mate Chandler with a four-pitch walk of his own to load the bases once again, this time with two outs.  After throwing four consecutive balls to the previous hitter, Saucier's first offering to Russell glanced off the Warhawk corner outfielder's thigh for the fifth Auburn Montgomery run of the game.  Pinch hitting, Tedford lined a ball into left field to bring the score within 9-6.  That would be all the Warhawks would get in the inning.
• With one out and runners on second and third for Spring Hill in the top of the ninth, Bolton sent a fly ball into center for what would have been sacrifice fly, but heads up defense by AUM led to a protested call at third base saying that the runner Fontenot left the bag before Chandler caught the ball in center.  With momentum on their side, the Warhawks headed into crunch time still trailing 9-6
• After the first two batters of the inning went down in order, Moman turned an 0-2 count into a six-pitch walk to keep the Warhawks chances alive.  With the count against him at 0-2 with two outs, the leadoff hitter Langley chopped a ball that was misplayed by the Spring Hill shortstop.  With two on and two out, Chandler grounded out to the first baseman to close out the game.  The Warhawks fell 9-6.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Spring Hill committed three errors and AUM committed two defensive miscues.
• The Warhawks stranded 14 costly baserunners.  The Badgers stranded just eight.
• AUM turned double plays in the top of the seventh and eighth innings.  The Badgers turned one double play in the bottom of the seventh.
• Auburn Montgomery struck out just two times in the game.
 
 
UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25 when they will play two games against the Badgers of Spring Hill.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.