COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus State pounded out 30 hits, including five home runs, as the No. 10-ranked Cougars swept a doubleheader from Lander Sunday at Ragsdale Field. The two wins, 9-1 and 12-4, earned CSU its first PBC series sweep of the season and ran its record to 29-12 overall and 13-5 in PBC play. Lander leaves Columbus at 16-22 overall, 6-12 in league play. (Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box)
As it did Saturday night, the CSU offense exploded in the fifth inning of game one to break open a 3-0 game until that point. CSU erupted for five runs in the frame, with the big blow coming off the bat of Casey Cook as he ripped a two-run triple off the wall in deep center. Brian Gordon, Brad Bowen, and Jonnie Geiger each plated runs in the frame to make it 8-0.
The Cougars had taken an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Rodney Rutherford blasted a two-run home run in the first inning off Bearcat starter Jake Hover. Rutherford's blast scored Geiger who led off the game with a single. CSU added another run in the second on a Cook sacrifice fly for the 3-0 lead. After the big fifth inning, the Cougars scored their final run in the sixth on a leadoff homer by Thomas Morrison.
Lander got its lone run in the fifth inning on Gabe McCann's RBI single to score Alex Baur. The Bearcats collected just three hits in the game against CSU starter Danny Davidson who fanned nine and walked five in moving to 5-2 on the year. Hover took the loss, allowing eight hits and eight runs in four and two-thirds innings. Jay Guidry finished up for the Bearcats, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts.
CSU got two hits each from Geiger, Morrison, Aaron Beasley and Cook in the game.
In the nightcap, CSU scored three runs in the first inning, got another in the third and added five more in the fourth to take control of the game. Morrison had a run-scoring single and Beasley a two-run double in the first to stake the Cougars to a 3-0 lead. C.J. Bressoud smacked a solo homer in the third for a 4-0 lead. Brandon Masters doubled home a run to make it 5-2 in the fourth, and Rutherford followed a batter later with his second homer of the day, a liner over the right field wall for a 7-2 lead. Brian Gordon bashed a two-run clout later in the inning for a 9-2 advantage.
Lander had closed the gap to a single run in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of CSU fielding miscues. Both runs scored with one out on a throwing error by Cougar pitcher Anthony Arrington. Brooks Arnette (error) and Malcolm McLeod (single) scored the Bearcat runs in the frame.
LU added two more runs in the seventh via the long ball. After two quick strikeouts to start the inning, Arrington walked Robert Skinner and Josh Lovvorn made him pay by belting a two-run shot deep to right to make it 9-4.
CSU pushed across three insurance runs in the eighth, getting a two-RBI double from Gordon and an RBI groundout from pinch-hitter Shaun Spearman to make it 12-4.
Lander starter Casey Dowman (1-3) was saddled with the loss after allowing 12 hits and nine runs in three and two-thirds innings. Ches Courtney also went 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Sean Edenfield pitched the final two-thirds of an inning, allowing no runs or hits. Lovvorn and Arnette led the Bearcats' seven-hit offensive output with two hits each.
Arrington went eight strong innings for CSU, moving to 6-4 on the year. He fanned seven and walked two, allowing just two earned runs. Phillip Robinson pitched the ninth, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts.
Bressoud went 5-5 at the plate with his eighth homer. Masters and Gordon each had three hits, while Beasley and Casey Cook had two apiece as CSU collected 18 safeties in the game. Gordon plated four runs while Beasley and Rutherford had two RBI each.
