Augusta explodes for 18 runs at SRP, but lose series 2-1 to Lander
By Chris Rickerson | Sports writer
The Augusta University baseball team lost a three-game series to Lander by two games to one.
The Jaguars would lose Game One on Tuesday, March 23, at Jaguar Field by an 11-5 score, followed by a win in Game Two at SRP Park on Wednesday, March 24, with an 18-7 thumping, but the Jags would go on to lose the final game 11-1.
Tuesday’s opening game featured Augusta freshman pitcher Benjamin Koch against Lander’s Justin Walker.
The Jaguars scored two early in the bottom of the first when sophomore Lukas Coker hit a 2 RBI single bringing in senior Trent Maddox and junior Ben Markiewicz.
Augusta would give up five runs in the second inning after Koch walked the bases loaded and Lander’s Walker McDowell hit a two RBI single and Mike Fitschen hit another two-run single. Landon Dupert would also bring in a run, hitting an RBI double. That made the score 5-2 in the second inning.
The Bearcats added three more runs off a couple singles by Evan Harold and Bo Richey in the fifth. Dupert was the leading hitter for the Bearcats, hitting two home runs later in the game and finishing with four RBIs.
Augusta would try to get it going in the sixth, but wouldn’t have enough runs to get the win. The Jaguars used a total of six pitchers and lost the game 11-5.
On Wednesday, Augusta had a doubleheader against Lander at SRP Park. Junior Brian Trepanier on the mound for the Jaguars faced Jack Fox for the Bearcats in the opener. Trepanier struggled with his control as he walked the bases loaded in the first inning, and Harold would drive in two runs off a fielder’s choice to make it 2-0.
Augusta got one run right back in the first when Markiewicz hit an RBI single that plated junior Walker Sinclair.
Lander scored one run in third and four runs in the fifth inning for a 7-2 lead. Ward Betts and Richey both hit doubles in the fourth and brought in the four runs.
In the second game, the Jaguars got the bats going late and put up six runs in the sixth inning and 10 runs in the seventh. Freshman Michael Bryant led the team with five runs batted in.
“It feels pretty good,” Bryant said. “I have been struggling lately, and It feels good to get back in the swing of things here.”
Sinclair led the Jaguars in hits with three and brought in four runs. AU Coach Chris Howell had comments about his team’s performance after the game.
“It felt good,” Howell said. “We were down five, and to see these guys bounce back and be productive offensively, it is nice to be on that side and I am proud of their effort.”
The second game of the doubleheader pitted AU sophomore Will Cantrell against Davis Agle.
Lander got on the board first after AU catcher Jose Nogueras overthrew the runner trying to steal second, and Vincent DeRubeis scored for the Bearcats in the second inning.
AU freshman Harrison Aulds hit an RBI groundout, bringing in Coker in the fourth inning. That tied the game at 1-1.
The Bearcats would go on to have a big inning in the fifth with six runs. Lander would also go on to score four more runs in the ninth inning and win the game 11-1. DeRubeis led the Bearcats hitting with three hits and three RBIs.
Augusta used seven pitchers in this game.
“It affects you and obviously they get to see them multiple times, and the thing we had working for use today was the ballpark was different,” Howell said. “it played a little bit bigger today. I knew we had a chance to throw some guys to double up, but we just got to eliminate the big inning.”
Augusta (3-12, 4-13) plays its next series at home as the Jaguars face Georgia Southwestern (7-8, 8-10). Game One and Two will be played Saturday, March 27. The opener will be at noon, followed by the nightcap at 3 p.m.
Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.
