Friday, March 17, 2006

COUGARS SHUTOUT SAINTS 6-0

Columbus, Ga. - Columbus State right-hander Jason Good tossed a three-hit shutout against North Georgia in the opening game of a three-game Peach Belt Conference series. The Cougars took the first-ever PBC meeting between the two schools 6-0.

Good was masterful throughout the game. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before leadoff hitter Erik Good got the Saints' first hit. All three safeties allowed by the CSU starter came in that fifth frame in one of just two real scoring threats posed by the Saints in the game. Good took advantage of a double play in the fifth to end the threat.

The Saints threatened again in the eighth after Anders Oster reached on a misplayed flyball in right field by Brad Shea. Oster took second on the error and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Good then got Jake Barrow to ground out and coerced a flyout from Dusty Tate to end the inning. He retired the Saints in order in the ninth.

CSU got all the runs it would need in a five-run third-inning outburst. Shea led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Jonnie Geiger that was misplayed at first. After a stolen base by Geiger, a long fly ball by David Brown, and steal by Kurt McKee, Billy Howard plated two runs with a sharp single to center field to make it 3-0. Drew Candlin then hammered a Michael Whiting pitch off the wall in left center for his 16th double of the year to score Howard. Candlin came home on a Brian Gordon single to make it 5-0.

The Cougars added an insurance run in the seventh on a Gordon groundout. McKee led off the frame with a walk and promptly stole second. After a walk to Brown and a popout, Candlin delivered a single to load the bases and Gordon grounded to first to score McKee and make it 6-0.

Whiting took the loss for the Saints to move to 4-3 on the season. He allowed eight hits and five earned runs in seven innings of work, walking three with one strikeout. James Wilson pitched a hitless eighth with one walk for North Georgia. Candlin went 3-4 to lead an eight-hit CSU attack. Howard and Shea added two hits each with Howard and Gordon knocking in a pair of runs each.

The two teams will conclude the series on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ragsdale Field.

Box Score

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