AU baseball team drops three-game road series at Mars Hill
By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor
The Augusta University baseball team continues to struggle on the road, dropping all three games in a series at Mars Hill in the mountains of North Carolina over the weekend.
The Jaguars (5-6) lost the first game 8-2 on Friday, Feb. 18. They would lose the next two games in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 19. The opener of the doubleheader was a slugfest with the Jags losing 17-12, followed by a lower scoring nightcap, which AU lost 5-3.
Friday’s series opener featured AU right-handed pitcher Mason Bernard against right hander Andrew Hazell for Mars Hill.
Walker Sinclair gave the Jaguars the early 1-0 lead with a RBI single in the top of the first inning.
Tyler Lala hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the second inning, Mars Hill extended the lead to 6-1 with four runs off four hits and one error by the Jags. The error scored Chad Sikes and Kyle Jenkins of the Lions. Scottie Lee and Alex Naran brought in the other two runs with an RBI single each.
Pat Galvin added the Jaguars second run of the game, hitting an RBI single and making the score 6-2 in the top of the fifth inning.
Lala tallied his fourth RBI in the bottom of eighth with a two-run double, helping the Lions get the 8-2 win. He led the Lions with two hits and four RBIs.
Hazell got the win for the Lions, pitching six innings with two strikeouts and only allowing two runs.
Bernard received the loss for the Jaguars, only pitching two and 2/3 innings and finishing with two strikeouts, giving up five earned runs.
Game Two featured AU left-handed pitcher Dominic Canale against left hander AJ Chacon for the Lions.
The Jaguars got up to an early 5-2 lead in the second inning with a two RBI double by Kyle LaRoche. Ben Markiewicz also brought in run with an RBI single.
Mars Hill regained the lead in the second inning with six runs off four hits. Lala and Paul Martin led the Lions in the second inning with each of them hitting a two-RBI double, making the score 8-5.
The Lions (5-8) added three runs in the third inning and six more runs in the fifth.
AU tried to battle back in the seventh, scoring five runs off four hits but came up short. Jordan Wilkie hit a two RBI triple in the inning, followed by another RBI triple by Galvin.
Lala once again led the Lions with three hits and five RBIs. Chacon got the win, pitching two innings with two strikeouts and giving up three earned runs.
Canale got the loss for the Jags, finishing with one strikeout and giving up eight earned runs. Markiewicz led the Jaguars in game two going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
The final game of the series had AU right-handed pitcher Chase Morton on the mound against right-hander Barrett Williams for Mars Hill.
Mars Hill got out to the early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with RBI singles by Chad Sikes, Lee and Naran.
Wilkie and Mason Robertson both hit RBI singles in the seventh inning, shrinking the Lions lead to 4-3.
Lala hit another homer in the final game in the seventh inning, extending the Lions lead to 5-3. Relievers Tristan Camp and Sam Kaplan finished off the game for the Lions, giving up no hits and no runs in the last two innings.
Williams got the win, finishing with three strikeouts and only giving up one run and three hits in six innings pitched. Kaplan got the save. Lee led the Lions hitting, going 3-for-5 with one RBI.
Horton received his first loss on the season for jags, finishing with seven strikeouts and giving up 11 hits and four runs.
The Jaguars’ next game will be at home against West Georgia (5-5) on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.
AU’s Kyle LaRoche (14) had two hits in seven at-bats with a double and two RBIs at Mars Hill. At the top of the page, Mason Bernard started the opener with Mars Hill and surrendered five runs in two and two-thirds innings. (photos by Chris Rickerson)
