AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team peppered 12 hits in the series opener against 16th-ranked Columbus State University on Friday evening at Hurricane Stadium but could only muster a pair of runs in a lopsided 7-2 loss.
The Cougars produced five extra-base hits out of their 13-hit total for the game, while GSW picked up one double from Stephen Eldridge. It was the 10th game this season where the Hurricanes tallied 12 or more hits. Over the first nine contests they averaged seven runs per game.
Southwestern has lost its last five games and falls to 10-25 overall and 5-17 in the Peach Belt Conference. Columbus State improves to 29-11 overall and 17-5 in the PBC.
CSU jumped on the Hurricanes in the second inning with four runs and five hits. Carson Bowers, Brendan Collins and Jackson Oliver collected RBI singles. Collins picked up a pair of RBIs on his hit.
The Cougars added two more runs in the fourth inning. Collins legged out an infield single for another RBI and Jimmy Obermark brought him around to score with a double to left-center field.
CSU posted its final run of the game in the eighth when Obermark brought home Matt Nettles on a sacrifice fly to right field.
Zach Moss put the home team on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth with a sacrifice fly that plated Eldridge.
Josh Sanders delivered the final run of the ballgame with his RBI single up the middle in the ninth inning for GSW.
Southwestern had four batters finish with multiple hits. Eldridge, Evan Alderman, Les Cromer and Devyn Newberry collected two hits apiece.
Collins and Blake Edwards led all batters with three hits each. Edwards ripped two of his hits for doubles. Obermark was 2-for-2 with two doubles and two walks. Mike McClellan added a pair of hits for CSU.
GSW starter Matthew Suggs (3-4) suffered the loss after eight innings of work. Suggs allowed 13 hits and six earned runs, walked four and struck out three. Earl Dupree threw a scoreless ninth.
Mike McGinnity (5-0) went the distance for the Cougars. He gave up two runs - one earned - and did not walk a batter while registering one strike out.
The series resumes on Saturday with Game 2 at 4 p.m.
