Spring sports roundup: AU's Motes wins 5,000 meters in PBC Championships
Staff report
It has been a hectic spring sports season, but most teams are winding down at Augusta University.
The Jaguar women’s golf team just returned from San Antonio, Texas, where they roared back on the final day to defend their Southland Conference title.
Here is this week’s roundup of Jaguar spring sports.
Track and field
Patrick Motes won the 5,000-meter run at the Peach Belt Conference Championships on Friday, April 21. Motes, the Jaguar sophomore, ran 15:00.09. The Jaguars took every from seventh to 14th place in the race, with Avery Jaynes finishing seventh, Tripp Miller eighth, Carlos Rodriguez ninth and Nasrudin Mohamed 10th.
Hans Troyer won the 10,000 meters on the first day of the meet in Daytona, Fla., on April 20. He edged teammate Jaynes by less than a second.
Troyer then made it a double, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:22.90. AU’s Andrew Todd was third in 9:36.00.
Motes took third in the men’s 1,500-meter run. In the women’s 1,500, Riley Triplett of AU finished 13th.
Jaguar graduate student Hannah Beach took fifth and Triplett eighth in the 5,000. Beach was fifth in the 10,000 meters.
Priscilla Ajala got the Jaguars another double with wins in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Ajala won the 100 in 11.94 second and the 200 in 24.62. Ajala was named Peach Belt track athlete of the year on the women’s side.
Eduardo Perez took first in the hammer throw with a toss of 45.05 meters.
AU sophomore Rachel Lovell took fifth in the high jump.
Baseball
The Jaguars are now 21-22 overall on the season. AU will finish the regular season with a conference series against USC Beaufort on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29, which is senior day. Coach Chris Howell’s team will host that series at the Jaguar Baseball Field.
Augusta is currently in eighth place in the Peach Belt Conference at 11-15. The Jaguars are hanging on because only eight teams make it. Flagler is right behind AU at 9-15. The Saints take on Claflin this weekend in a three-game set. First pitch for Friday’s game will be 2 p.m.
“To make the tournament we just have to keep playing our game and know our identity,” said AU pitcher Britt Kelly. “We don’t need to try to do to much in these last games and stay within ourselves. We don’t need to be somebody we’re not because that is when the games get away from us.”
The last time AU made the PBC Tournament was in 2016.
Starting pitcher Mason Bernard has been the Jaguars’ workhorse and a veteran. He was named PBC pitcher of the week. Bernard has a 6-2 record with a 3.52 earned run average. The senior from Lilburn has 41 strikeouts and only 16 walks. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is a team-low 1.21.
“We know that he’s going to go out on Friday nights and give us a quality start, so our offense can put up some runs for us,” Kelly said.
The Jaguars have had little trouble scoring runs this season, averaging 6.6 per game.
Update: The Jaguars even their record at 22-22 with a 9-8 win at Emmanuel in 11 innings on April 25. Jordan Wilkie drove in Pat Galvin with the game-winning run. Galvin went 3 for 6 with three runs scored.
Softball
The AU softball team, on a three-game skid, will play at Flagler this weekend.
The Jaguars (4-20, 17-25) are led by third baseman Bailee Roberts, who seven home runs, 13 doubles and 43 runs batted in. She also is batting .457.
Augusta will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game Sunday.
Men’s golf
The Jaguars will open play in the Southland Conference Championship in San Antonio on Monday, April 24. AU, which finished ninth in its Haskins tournament at Forest Hills earlier this month, was led by Stefan Jacobs in that tournament. He finished tied for 21st.
The tournament will be played at the Hill Country Golf Club.
Women’s golf
The Jaguars edged the University of the Incarnate Word by a single shot to women’s SLC championship on Wednesday, April 19.
Augusta started the final round five shots behind the Cardinals. AU’s Mirabel Ting finished second in individual play.
Houston Christian finished third in the team competition.
It was the second straight title for Coach Carolina Haase-Hegg’s Jaguar program. With another tourney title, AU advances to the NCAA Regionals on May 8.
Tennis
Freshman Enzo Garutti was named to the Peach Belt all-conference team. Garutti made the second team. He is a freshman from Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil.
The Jaguars take a 15-8 record into the PBC championships this weekend at Columbus State.
The AU women’s team, coming off a 4-3 win over Young Harris on Tuesday, also will be playing in the PBC tournament this weekend. Action opens today (Friday, April 21).
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Mirabel Ting led the Augusta University women’s golf team to its second straight Southland Conference Tournament championship. (photo by xxxxxx) At the top of the page, Koby Ayala settles under a fly ball for the Jaguar baseball team. (photo by Madison Keel)
AU hurler Logan Howell, a freshman from Hephzibah, shows his form on the mound in a recent contest. The Jaguars have a key series next weekend against USC Beaufort. (photo by Madison Keel)
