Markiewicz has a multi-homer game, but Hurricanes dominate three-game series

By Chris Rickerson | Sports writer

Ben Markiewicz hit three homers in a wild series finale, but the Augusta University baseball team lost all three games in a series against Georgia Southwestern over the weekend.

 The Jaguars lost both games of the doubleheader on Saturday, March 27, by a score of 14-2 in Game One and 15-3 in Game Two. Georgia Southwestern would also dominate the final game on Sunday, March 28, by a score of 35-11. 

“We got to stop putting our offense in catch-up mode,” said AU Coach Chris Howell. “They’re always having to swing it from behind and that’s where we got to get better, we need to give the offense a chance to score runs and we got to put up a zero.”

Game One of the doubleheader featured AU sophomore pitcher Noah Fritz against Southwestern’s Tucker Smith. 

Augusta’s only runs would come in the third inning with a solo home run by freshman Michael Bryant and in the seventh with a home run by Markiewicz.

Smith would pitch the complete game for the Hurricanes with eight strikeouts and only giving up two hits and got the win. Reid Ragsdale would lead the Hurricanes with six runs batted in and two hits, one being a three-run homerun. 

Junior Brian Trepanier would start on the mound for the Jaguars in the second game against Jared Donalson for the Hurricanes.

GSW would start right where they left off scoring at least one run in the first five innings. Johnathan Martin led the Hurricanes batting. He went five for five with four RBIs.

Freshman Paxton Tolleson got his first hit of his college career and his first RBI at Augusta University.

The Jaguars three runs were off two errors by the Hurricanes and a homerun by AU senior Jose Nogueras. Donalson got the win for the Hurricanes pitching five innings and had three strikeouts. Nogueras had some comments after Saturday’s games. 

“Going down in a game, we got to do our best to not pout, and as leaders we just got to keep being uplifting with each other,” said Nogueras. “We got to execute our pitches more and get ahead early in counts, or we’re just setting ourselves up for failure.”

Sunday’s game featured AU sophomore Will Cantrell against Aaron Wainright for GSW. 

Augusta gave up four runs early but would try to fight back scoring four themselves in the first inning. Markiewicz hit his first home run of the game and the Jaguars had the game tied at four in the first. 

The Hurricanes scored two more in the second inning, but the Jaguars continued to fight, as Markiewicz hit his second run homer of the game, tying the game 6-6 in the second inning. 

GSW continued to score and scored a run in every inning but one. The Hurricanes had 34 hits in the game and 35 runs. Martin led the team with an impressive four home runs and nine RBIs. John Austin Sutton had five hits, two being home runs, and eight RBIs. Sutton also hit for the cycle.

Markiewicz hit his third home run in the eighth for the Jaguars and led the team with 8 RBIs, but Georgia Southwestern won the game by 24 runs. Howell commented on Markiewicz’s performance.

“What has impressed me the most is physically he is going to put the work in because he’s a dreamer, but what Ben does is his mental preparation and he is so much stronger mentally for the ups and downs of this game,” said Howell. “Regardless what is happening around him, he is continuing to come up with big hits and play the game the right way.”

Augusta (3-15, 4-16) plays its next game at SRP Park as the Jaguars face USC Aiken (10-11, 10-11) on Tuesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. 

Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.

AU third baseman Ben Markiewicz had four home runs in the series closer with Georgia Southwestern. (photo by Carlos Rodriguez)