VALDOSTA, Ga. –The Auburn Montgomery baseball team fell in games two and three of their Gulf South Conference series to #19 Valdosta State on Sunday, Feb. 21, dropping game one 10-9 in 11 innings and 9-0 in game two.
With the losses, AUM's record falls 5-4 on the season.
GAME ONE
Zach Feaster led AUM at the dish in game one, with a three-hit performance. The sophomore catcher slugged a home run, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.
Quinterrious Arrington and
Sage Smelley both logged a pair of hits, with Arrington clubbing a pair of doubles and Smelley scoring twice. Arrington also drove in two and stole a base.
Jackson Ceman also accounted for a pair of RBIs on one hit.
Troy Jones scattered four runs over six innings of work. The senior righty struck out four while allowing just six hits.
Logan Coleman (0-1) took the loss for the Warhawks on the mound in game one.
The Warhawks scored a pair of runs in their first two at-bats, with a two-run shot by Feaster in the first and a two-RBI double from Arrington in the second accounting for the damage.
AUM's biggest inning came in the fifth, when the Warhawks would tally four runs on three hits while also taking advantage of two VSU errors. Ceman delivered the big hit in the inning with a two-RBI single to left center while Hartsifeld also picked up an RBI single in the frame.
Valdosta State got back within striking distance in the seventh inning, when they would send across five runs on five hits to trim AUM's lead to 8-5.
The Blazers got the three runs needed to keep the game alive in the ninth. After loading up the bases with one away, VSU would ground out to Smelley at third for the second out to make it a 8-6 game.
The game-tying knock, a two-RBI single to left field, came with two outs and two strikes.
Both the Warhawks and Blazers were able to tally a run in the tenth inning, as part of the new conference rule that allows teams to start each inning after the ninth with a runner on second base.
Ethan Wells drove in the Warhawks' run in the 10th with a pinch-hit leadoff double to center.
The winning run came across the plate for the Blazers in the 11th via a bases-loaded walk. VSU started off the inning with a bunt single, followed by an intentional walk to load the bases and a pop-out to short.
GAME TWO
Arrington picked up the lone hit for the Warhawks in game two.
Hunter Viets (1-2) took the loss for the Warhawks on the mound. Viets surrendered six earned over 3.1 innings while striking out three.
Jax Morris and
Shelton Clevenger each struck out three over the final 4.2 innings of work. Clevenger gave up just two hits over three innings of labor.
Valdosta State jumped out to a 4-0 lead over their first two at-bats, with a pair of runs in both the first and second innings.
The Blazers continued to created separation between them and AUM by putting up three runs on three hits in the fourth and a run on a steal of home in the fifth. VSU added one more insurance run on an RBI double in the eighth before giving way to the final score.
The baseball team will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 26 when they take on Lee University in game one of their three-game GSC series. First pitch from Q.V. Lowe Field is set for 4:00 p.m.
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