From Staff Reports

 

AMERICUS – The Georgia Southwestern State University baseball team took it on the chin this week as they got manhandled in a pair of midweek home games. The Hurricanes lost to West Georgia (UWG) 15-3 on Tuesday, March 26. This was followed by a 14-6 setback against Auburn Montgomery (AUM) on Wednesday, March 27.

The Hurricanes have now lost four in a row. They are currently 11-21 overall and are 5-10 in the Peach Belt Conference.

GSW starting pitcher Tucker Smith had two strikeouts against AUM, but was charged with an unearned run. Outfielder Jonathan Martin was called on to make his first relief pitching appearance for the Hurricanes against AUM in the bottom of the ninth inning. Martin struck out three of the four batters he faced.

Bradley Hough led the Hurricanes with three hits during the two games. All three of his hits came in a 3-for-5 performance against the Warhawks.

Against UWG, the Hurricanes allowed three runs in the second inning without allowing a hit. GSW starter Jakob Brown took the loss (0-2). Brown pitched 1.2 innings, allowing three runs. He walked six UWG batters and struck out one. In the 15-3 loss to the Wolves, GSW pitchers walked a total of 13 batters and struck out nine.

The Hurricanes only trailed UWG by three runs going into the third inning, but the Wolves scored seven runs in the top of the third to put the game away. The Wolves scored 15 runs on 12 hits and committed no errors. GSW scored three runs on seven hits and committed one error.

In the 14-6 loss to AUM, the Warhawks scored an unearned run in the first inning and increased their lead to five when they scored four runs on three hits in the third. The Hurricanes were still within striking distance, trailing 5-1 going into the fifth inning, but AUM scored nine runs on six hits in the top of the fifth to put the game away. The Hurricanes scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh, but that would be as close as they would get.

AUM scored 14 runs on 13 hits and committed one error. GSW scored six runs on eight hits and committed one error. GSW outfielder Hunter Foster went 2-for-4 against the Warhawks and drove in an RBI. Tucker Smith took the loss and is now 6-2 on the season. Smith pitched two innings, giving up only one run on a hit. He walked one and struck out two batters. The Hurricanes used a total of eight pitchers in this game. They combined to walk 11 hitters and struck out 12.

AUM first baseman Grayson Blackwell led the Warhawks’ attack by going 3-for-4. He scored three runs and drove in two. AUM starting pitcher Josh Flowers got the win and is now 2-2 on the season.

The Hurricanes will try to end their four-game losing streak. They will step back into Peach Belt Conference play as they head up to the North Georgia Mountains for a three-game weekend series against Young Harris College. Game 1 will take place on Friday, March 29, at 6 p.m. Games 2 and 3 will take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both games will begin at 1 p.m.