Sunday, March 9, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, Sports Information Director

SAINTS SPLIT DOUBLE HEADER WITH COUGARS

Game 1 | Game 2

COLUMBUS, GA - Columbus State and North Georgia played a total of 22 innings on Sunday before the two split a pair of games in a Peach Belt Conference double header. CSU won the first game 7-6, while the Saints came back to win the nightcap 2-1 in 13 innings.

CSU pitcher Danny Davidson was outstanding in the nightcap, as was Saints releiver Michael Patton. Davidson went nine innings, allowing only four hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts. Patton relieved starter Alex Simmons with one out in the fifth inning and went the rest of the way. The lefty pitched eight and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball, allowing three hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

The only run Davidson allowed came in the first inning and was unearned after his own errant pickoff throw allowed Andre Airich to reach second. Josh Tate drove him home for the 1-0 lead. CSU got a run back in the bottom of the inning off Simmons, getting a Rodney Rutherford double to deep center field to score Brian Gordon who had earlier walked.  CSU would have a runner thrown out at the plate in the 11th as pinch-hitter Cam Fulcher delivered a single, but C.J. Bressoud was cut down at the plate.

James Thompson took the loss for CSU, allowing one run with one walk in a third of an inning. Jason Weaver pitched three solid innings in relief of Davidon, allowing just one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. Cam Childs got the final two outs for CSU, one of those being Rob Flanigan's sacrifice fly to score Logan Sharrett who led off the frame with a walk.

CSU got two hits each from Brandon Masters and Brian Gordon in collecting eight overall. Tate was the only Saint with two hits.

In the opener, CSU got four runs in the first three innings and then had to hold off a charge from the Saints for the 7-6 win. NGC actually tied the game with a three-run fifth inning to make it 4-4, but CSU answered with a run in the bottom of the inning and two more in the sixth. Weaver came on in relief of starter Anthony Arrington and earned his first save, pitching around a walk and a Tate double.

Bressoud doubled home three runs in the second inning after a throwing error loaded the bases. His hit scored Tyler Baughman, Cole Martin, and Thomas Morrison. The Cougars added a single run in the third when Rodney Rutherford belted his ninth homerun of the year to left for a 4-1 lead.

NGCSU tied it in the fifth, getting an RBI single from Airich and a two-RBI single from Daniel Petitti after a Flanigan double put two runners in scoring position with two outs. CSU answered in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. Jonnie Geiger led off with a bunt single, went to third on a Masters single, and came home on a Rutherford groundout to make it 5-4.

CSU added two runs in the sixth, getting both on a tape-measure homer from Bressoud with one out. CSU threatened to score more in the frame, Rutherford fanned with two runners on to end the threat. The Saints would tack on two runs in the eighth off Arrington, getting a walk and a Kevin Morrison triple for one run, and a Davy Wallach sacrifice fly for the other.

Flanigan led a nine-hit NGCSU attack with three hits, including a pair of doubles. Craig Brisson contributed two hits, as well. CSU collected 13 hits as a team, getting three from Bressoud, to go with five RBI. Geiger, Masters, Morrison, and Shaun Spearman each had two hits.

Arrington (3-3) picked up the win, going eight innings and allowing eight hits with seven strikeouts. James Wiley took the loss for the Saints, going six innings and allowing seven runs - six earned - with seven strikeouts. Caleb Copeland and Jacob Rickett combined to keep CSU scoreless for the final two innings.

North Georgia returns to action Tuesday, March 11 at 5:00 pm as they take on Carson-Newman.

-NGCSU-

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