The Georgia Southwestern baseball team lost to #8 Columbus State
University 11-2 on Friday evening in a Peach Belt Conference
matchup at Hurricane Field.
Four runs in the first and another three in the second proved to be
more than enough for CSU. The Cougars used eight singles and a
double to bring all seven runs around.
All of the Hurricanes scoring came in the second when Francisco
Gomez was brought in from first on a Patrick McCarthy line shot to
center that landed below the outstretched glove of Jonnie Geiger
and rolled to the 400' sign for an inside-the-park home run.
Columbus State answered with two more runs in the fourth and single
runs in the seventh and eighth.
Starter RM Cozza (4-4) took the loss for GSW in three innings of
work allowing nine earned runs. Colin Duffie threw five innings and
allowed two to score, while Tyler Smith pitched a scoreless
ninth.
Korey Noles, a three-time Peach Belt Player of the Week in
'08, remained perfect (11-0) with the complete game win for
CSU. Noles scattered seven hits and struck out 10.
Cody Adams was the lone Hurricane batter to record multiple hits.
Adams finished 3-for-4 with two doubles to remain hot at the plate.
In his last nine at-bats, Adams has seven hits, including three
doubles and a home run.
Rodney Rutherford led the Cougars with a 5-for-5 performance at the
plate. Rutherford knocked his conference leading 25th home run of
the season, drove in two, scored three times and was hit by a
pitch. Geiger, Brandon Masters, Thomas Morrison, Brian Gordon and
Brad Bowen added three hits apiece.
With the loss, GSW falls to 16-32 overall on the season and 6-19 in
conference play. Columbus State improves to 38-14 and sits atop the
PBC standings at 18-7. The series and 2008 season for GSW concludes
tomorrow with a doubleheader on senior day at 1 p.m.
