Augusta baseball gets swept in a tight three-game series against Newberry

By Chris Rickerson | Sports Editor

Augusta University’s baseball team dropped all three games in a series at Newberry, losing two of the games in walk-off fashion over the weekend.

The Jaguars lost the first game 5-4 with a walk-off sacrifice fly by the Wolves’ Braylon Marine on Friday, Feb. 4. They would also lose in the doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 5, by a score of 10-7 in Game One and 9-8 in Game Two. Game Two of the doubleheader would be another walk-off for the Wolves, this one with a two-run double by Hunter French.

Friday’s game featured AU sophomore pitcher Mason Bernard against Newberry’s Joe LaFiora.

AU’s Ben Markiewicz kicked off the game with a two-run homer, giving the Jaguars a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Wolves bounced right back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, three of them coming from a three-run home run by Henry Gibson.

Markiewicz added his second home run of the day, hitting a solo homer in the top of the third inning, cutting the wolves lead to 4-3.

The Jaguars tied the game 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning with a RBI single by senior Mason Robertson, bringing in Kyle LaRoche.

After a walk by AU sophomore Darius Dunn and an error by the infield in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Wolves had runners on second and third with one out. Marine won the game for the Wolves with a walk-off sacrifice fly, scoring Ian Clements and winning 5-4.

Markiewicz led in hitting for the Jaguars, finishing with two homers and three RBIs. Dunn took the loss.

Gibson led the Wolves in hitting with his three-run homer. Reliever Johnathan White was issued the win.

On Saturday, AU sophomore Dominic Canale started the opener of the doubleheader for the Jaguars against Wolves Tyler Chinpire.

Junior Pat Galvin, a transfer from Worchester State, hit his first career home run for the Jaguars, making the score 1-0 in the top of the first inning.

Newberry gained a 2-1 lead with runs by Jacob LeBron and Zane Tarrance in the bottom of the first inning.

AU sophomore Trevor Maddox tied the game 2-2 in the second inning, scoring on a wild pitch.

The wolves added three more runs, and the Jaguars brought in reliever Alex Brown in bottom of the fourth inning. Newberry extended their lead to 10-2 as Brown would struggle, giving up five hits and five runs in the game.

AU battled back with a double by Galvin, bringing in Harrison Aulds. Markiewicz singled, scoring Galvin and decreasing the wolves lead to 10-5.

Aulds and Robertson both scored for the Jaguars off two wild pitches from Bryce Peterson in the top of the eighth, bringing down the wolves’ lead to 10-7.

Although the Jaguars would give up no more runs, they failed to score, losing the game 10-7.

Aulds finished with three hits and two runs, leading the Jaguars. Canale got the loss, giving up four earned runs and five hits.

Braylin Marine led the Wolves, with a 4-for-5 game and one run. Scott Templeton got the win, finishing with six strikeouts.

Game Two of the doubleheader featured AU junior Brian Trepanier against Ethan LeBron for the Wolves.

Newberry would get on the board first, scoring two runs in the first inning and two more in the second, giving them a 4-0 lead. Trepanier would only last one and a half innings in the game until reliever Cotton Phillips would enter.

The Jaguars added five runs of there own in the top of the fourth inning with a homer by Lukas Coker and hits by Aulds, Galvin and Robertson, giving them the 5-4 lead.

The game was back and forth, as Newberry regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth 6-5, but the Jaguars took the lead 8-7 in top of the seventh after a two RBI single by Galvin.

As this final game would be seven innings, Trevor Gordon checked in to the game to try and close the door on the Wolves in the bottom half of the seventh. After a hit and a walk by Gordon, French hit a two RBI double to win Newberry the game and close out the series.

Skylor Murphy led the Jaguars with three hits and three runs. Gordon would get the loss.

Tarrance led the Wolves with two hits and two RBIs. White once again got the win after entering the game in the eighth inning. He only gave one hit and finished with two strikeouts.

The Jaguars’ next baseball game will be at home against Anderson on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m.

Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.

AU’s Harrison Aulds had a 2-for-4 game in the third game of the series at Newberry. At the top of the page, Cotton Phillips had two strikeouts in 1 and 2/3 innings in the finale. (photos by Chris Rickerson)