The Georgia Southwestern baseball team split a Saturday afternoon doubleheader with Flagler College to win the Peach Belt Conference weekend series - two games to one - at Hurricane Stadium. GSW took the first game on Saturday, 7-6, before dropping the nightcap, 14-8.
Joining the Hurricanes on the field before game 1 was the Lee County Crushers t-ball team as part of the Hurricane Buddies "team of the night" program sponsored by McDonald’s and The Americus Times-Recorder.
GAME 1: GSW 7, FLAGLER 6
Southwestern took an early 4-0 lead after scoring a run in the first inning and three more in the second.
Flagler tied the ballgame in the fourth at 4-4. GSW regained the lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-run frame highlighted by Bud Long's RBI single.
The score would remain 6-4 until the eighth when Flagler tied the game with a two-run single.
The ‘Canes scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth without recording a hit in the inning. Long reached base on a fielding error by the third baseman, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a Chris Lingham ground out to first and scored on a Zack Stanton sacrifice fly.
Long finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored to lead GSW. Lingham collected two hits and two RBIs while Paschel Poston had a double, a single and scored a run.
Chris Carroll (2-0) earned the win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to close out the game. He surrendered five hits and tallied three strikeouts.
For the second consecutive game a FC relief pitcher took the loss without allowing and earned run. Saturday the hard-luck hurler was Tim Lappin (1-2), who finished with one inning pitched and one unearned run.
GAME 2: FLAGLER 14, GSW 8
A five-run ninth inning by Flagler (18-13, 6-6 PBC) put game 2 out of reach for the 'Canes.
After Flagler jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Southwestern pulled ahead with three runs in the second, highlighted by Paschel Poston’s two-run home run.
The Hurricanes added a run in the fourth on a one-out bases-loaded walk. The next two batters were unable to reach base and GSW ended the inning with the bases loaded.
GSW added another run in the fifth on a Trent Dooley RBI single to take a 5-2 lead.
Flagler stormed back with four runs in the fifth and three more runs in the sixth to jump back ahead, 9-5.
The Hurricanes pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth on a Chris Lingham single.
GSW closed the margin to one run after scoring a pair in the seventh when Jared Allen belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field.
The Hurricanes left the bases loaded in the eighth and Flagler went on to put the game away with a five-run ninth.
Lingham, Poston, Dooley, Zack Stanton and Kevin Carroll collected two hits apiece.
GSW starter Tyler Daniel (2-4) went five innings, gave up seven runs (four earned), but allowed only four hits while walking three and striking out one.
Johnny Gaines (5-3) allowed six runs and 12 hits for Flagler in five innings of work, with four walks and five strikeouts.
The Hurricanes (18-8, 8-4 PBC) travel to Brewton-Parker on Wednesday.
Click here to view the Lee County Crushers "team of the night" photo gallery
