Augusta baseball drops first conference series of the season

By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor

Augusta University’s baseball team was swept in a Peach Belt Conference three-game series matchup on the road against Flagler over the weekend.

This was the Jaguars’ first conference series of the 2022 season.

Augusta (6-10, 0-3) lost 2-0 on Friday, March 4, and then would play a doubleheader on Saturday, losing both games by scores of 12-2 and 11-1.

Mason Bernard pitched well for the Jaguars in the opener against Gage Voorhees for for the Saints. Bernard gave up just two runs on seven hits. He struck out two Saints’ batters. Both pitchers would go the distance as Friday’s matchup was a pitching duel.

The only two runs would come in the bottom of the third inning after a RBI single from Trey Newland, bringing in Matthew Burke. Newland would also score from a RBI groundout by Mason Gray.

Voorhees finished with an impressive 13 strikeouts, giving up no runs and only two hits in nine innings pitched.

Bernard also pitched a respectable game, finishing with two strikeouts, but only giving up one earned run off seven hits.

The opener of the Saturday doubleheader featured AU’s Chase Horton against Flagler’s Seth Wysocki.

After a run from Flagler in the first inning, the Jaguars tied the game 1-1 with sacrifice fly from Trevor Maddox, scoring Skylor Murphy.

The Saints (9-9, 3-0) took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth after a RBI single from Newland and Gray.

AU went to Brian Trepanier to pitch in the bottom of the sixth and he would struggle, walking in two runs.

Flagler ended the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two RBI double by Newland, putting their lead at 10 runs.

Newland led the Saints with three hits and three RBIs. Donovan Garcia and Matthew Burke also had three hits for the Saints.

Wysocki was the winning pitcher with three strikeouts, only giving up five hits and one earned run.

Horton got the loss for the Jags, giving up 11 hits, six runs and finishing with one strikeout.

The final game would be a bullpen game for Augusta with Cotton Phillips on the mound against Ryan Ayrey for Flagler.

Flagler began with two early runs in the first inning off three hits.

AU struggled to get anyone across the plate, leaving three men on base in the top of the second and scoring no runs.

After a pitching change for AU from Phillips to Britt Kelly, the Saints added two more runs in the second inning.

Leading 4-0, Flagler pushed even further away with a three RBI double by Zach Thomas in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Harrison Aulds scored the Jaguars only run of the game with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Pat Galvin in the top of the fifth.

The Saints ended the game in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two more runs off three hits to make the final score 11-1.

Ashton Thomas led the Saints with two hits and four RBIs. Newland also batted well once again, finishing two-for-two with two RBIs.

Reliever Gabriel Partridge got the win for Flagler, finishing with two strikeouts, giving up four hits and one run in two innings pitched.

Phillips got the loss for the Jaguars, giving up two runs and three hits in one inning pitched.

The Jaguars will now go on a home stretch, where there next eight games will be at home. There next game will be against the College of Saint Rose (4-6) on Tuesday, March 8, at 2 p.m., at Jaguar Field.

AU’s next PBC series matchup will begin on Saturday, March 12, in doubleheader against Young Harris. Game One will be at 12 p.m., followed by the next game at 3 p.m. The final game of the series will be on Sunday, March 13, at 12 p.m.

Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.