Saturday, March 8, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, Sports Information Director

SAINTS DROP SERIES OPENER 6-5 TO COUGARS

Box Score

COLUMBUS, GA - The North Georgia College & State University baseball team dropped the series opener 6-5 to Columbus State Unviersity on a cold, windy day at Ragsdale Field.

CSU trailed 5-4 entering the eighth inning off North Georgia starter Chris Curtis.  Curtis got leadoff batter Jonnie Geiger to fly out to start the frame.  Brandon Masters stepped up and doubled to the gap in left center.  Black came in for relief and had Gordon in a two-strike hole before giving up the game-winning two-run blast, deep into right-center.

CSU scored the game's first two runs with a pair in the opening inning. Geiger and Masters were the table-setters with two opposite field extra-base hits.  Geiger doubled to lead off and Masters tripled him home with a shot off the right-field wall.  Gordon then scored Masters on an RBI groundout to second base.

The two teams traded runs in the second and third innings before NGCSU tied the contest at 3-3 with two runs in the fourth inning.  Rob Flanigan started the rally with an infield hit.  After a strikeout, Josh Tate doubled down the left field line to score Flanigan.  Anders Oster then delivered a game-tying single.

CSU (16-7, 3-1 PBC) gained the lead again with a run in its half of the fourth inning on a Cole Martin home run to right-center field, his second of the season, to give CSU a 4-3 lead..

The two starters settled down in the middle innings before NGCSU got two runs in the seventh inning to take a 5-4 lead.  Oster doubled to start the inning and went to third on a ground-out to Casey Cook at shortstop.  Davy Wallach then beat out an infield roller that scored Oster for the tying run.  Logan Sharrett bunted Wallach to second for the second out and lead-off hitter Craig Brisson stepped to the plate with two outs.  He hit a two-hopper to Masters at second that he threw wide to first base and Wallach came around to score the go-ahead run.

Noles retired the Saints in order in the eighth and ninth innings for the complete-game win.  The left-hander threw over 130 pitches to lower his ERA to 1.60.  He allowed seven hits, five runs (three earned), a walk, and fanned eight. 

Masters went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Cougars.  Geiger went 2-for-4 with his 15th stolen base of the season.  Gordon's game-winning two-run home run was his second homer of the season.

Black (0-2) got the loss for the Saints.  North Georgia starter Curtis went 7.1 innnings, allowed seven hits, five runs, issued no walks, and recorded two strikeouts.

Tate and Oster each had two hits to lead NGCSU (8-9, 3-4 PBC).

The PBC series wraps up tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 1 PM.

-NGCSU-

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