AUGUSTA, Ga. | Every starter but one had at least one hit as Georgia College & State University opened its Peach Belt Conference baseball series against Augusta University with a 13-3 win in seven innings Friday (March 20) evening at Jaguar Field.
The Bobcats won their third consecutive game as they improved to 12-15 overall and to 8-8 in the Peach Belt, while the Jaguars dropped their fourth game as they fell to 13-14 and 9-7. The middle game of the series is set for 3 p.m. Saturday (March 21).
GCSU clubbed 17 hits against five Augusta pitchers with nine going for extra bases.
Carson Vick led the hit parade with four hits, including three doubles, while
Luke Boone had three hits, including two for doubles.
Evan Cowan,
Carson Phillips,
Cole Huddleston, and
Rand Bestermann had two hits apiece. Cowan, Bestermann and
Blake Bellflower each recorded a double, while Phillips laced a triple.
The Bobcats scored in every inning, but the third and sixth innings.Â
Vick had a RBI double and
Tanner Patterson added a sacrifice fly as GCSU took a 2-0 lead in the first. The Bobcats broke the game open with a four-run second inning. Vick struck again with a two-run double and Boone added a two-run double of his own.
Bestermann drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to push the GCSU lead to 7-3 lead. The Bobcats scored twice an inning later as Phillips had an RBI triple and Boone tossed in a run-scoring single.
GCSU closed out the game with another four-run inning in the seventh as Vick, Boone and Bestermann each drove in runs with a double while Huddleston collected an RBI single.
Vick and Boone each drove in four runs, while Vick scored five times.
Keaton Prior (2-5) earned the complete-game win on the hill as he scattered nine hits and struck out four.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to theÂ
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