MONTGOMERY, Ala. --- The Auburn Montgomery baseball team pounded out 12 runs on offense, and got a complete-game effort from Josh Flowers on the mound, en route to earning a 12-2 victory in seven innings over the Wolves of the University of West Georgia in their Gulf South Conference series opener on Friday, April 12 from the AUM Baseball Complex.
 
NOTES
- With the win, AUM's record improves to 20-19 overall, and 10-12 in GSC play.
- All 12 of the Warhawk's runs came in unanswered fashion. 
- The Orange and Black batted around in two different innings in the contest.
- Every Warhawk starter reached base in the game, while eight of nine starters either scored a run or drove in a run in the victory.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Matthew Zielonko racked up his fourth three-hit ball game of the year in the win, in addition to scoring a game-high four runs and stealing a base. Zielonko's four-run performance marks for the first time since the 2017 season that a Warhawk has scored four runs in a game. 
- Jonathan Brandt and Zach Feaster combined to drive in five of the Warhawk's 12 runs, with Feaster knocking in three on two hits, and Brandt driving in a pair on two hits and scoring three times. Both players also accounted for a double in the win. 
- Harrison Morris and Sage Smelley both also knocked a pair of base hits in the game, with Smelley driving in a run and Morris crossing home plate twice.
- Hayden Friesen and Dalton Cobb both added a hit, with Cobb driving in two runs and Friesen scoring twice. Friesen also registered a stolen base, while Cobb collected one of three AUM extra base hits in the game.
- Casey Henderson added an RBI for the Orange and Black in the game. 
- On the mound, Flowers (3-2) picked up his first career complete-game victory for AUM. The senior hurler matched a career-high seven innings pitched, striking out five and needing just 88 pitches to earn the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- West Georgia would notch their only two runs of the game in inning number four, on a two-run blast to left center to grab a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
- The Warhawks would respond in their next at-bat, however, with a crucial two-spot to tie the game at two-all. A Cobb double to right center, and a two-out bunt single by Smelley, would provide for the scoring action in the frame. 
- The Warhawks would go on to tally a game-high four runs in the fifth, while needing just two base hits to jump out to a 6-2 lead. Friesen gave the Warhawks the lead for good with a single through the left side, while a Cobb RBI base on balls, a Feaster RBI fielder's choice, and a wild pitch would bring home the reminder of the runs in the inning that saw AUM send 10 batters to the plate.
- The Warhawks would bat around again their next time up in the sixth, sending nine to the dish and scoring three runs on two hits. Feaster would slug an RBI single to right in the frame, while C. Henderson would draw an RBI walk and Zielonko would score on a Wolf error after stealing third.
- Needing three runs to bring the game to an abrupt end, the Warhawks would do just that in the seventh. Brandt would account for the big blow in the inning, with a two-RBI double to left center, while Feaster would plate the game-ending run on a double down the left-field line.  

QUOTING THE COACH

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Warhawks outhit the Wolves 13-5 in the game, accounting for the fourth time in six games that the Orange and Black have knocked double-digit base hits.
- AUM's 2-5 hitters went a combined 8-16 (.500) in the win, while scoring 11 of the game's 12 runs. The Warhawk's 5-7 hitters drove in seven of the game's 12 runs. 
- The Warhawk's went 9-24 (.375) with runners on base, while reaching base to lead of an inning in four of seven frames. 
- Flowers walked just one batter in the Warhawk's first complete-game effort of the year, while inducing 10 fly outs and five ground outs on the fewest number of pitches thrown by the Warhawks in a game this season. 
 
UP NEXT
- The Warhawks will play games two and three of their series with West Georgia on Saturday, April 13, with first pitch of the doubleheader coming at 1:00 p.m.
 
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