AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team lost a pair of Peach Belt Conference games against Armstrong State on Saturday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium. Game 1 went 12 innings before the visitors prevailed, 4-2. In Game 2 GSW fell behind early and lost, 9-2.
GSW's record dropped to 4-10 this spring, 1-8 in the PBC while Armstrong improved to 12-3 overall, 6-2 in conference play. Hurricane batters continued to struggle against Armstrong on Saturday, striking out 23 times in the doubleheader for a total of 35 Ks in the series.
Southwestern travels to Albany State on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. game.
GAME 1: ARMSTRONG 4, GSW 2 (12 innings)
GSW starting pitcher Lance Shelton turned in a gutsy performance facing one of the top pitchers in the PBC. Shelton scattered four hits over six innings of work and held the Pirates to two runs. Shelton was battling against Pete Nagel, who entered the game with a 0.79 earned run average over 22 innings on the mound this spring. Nagel went into the eighth inning before the Hurricanes could push across a run.
Trailing 2-0 in the eighth, GSW opened the frame with a single from Josh Logan. Logan advanced to third on a hit and run, then scored on a Devyn Newberry's ground out in the hole to Nagel.
Zach Barron singled to open the ninth inning. Following a walk to Vinny Nunez, Nagel was pulled for Tyler Graham (2-1). The Hurricanes proceeded to fill the bases and score the equalizer when Graham hit Brett Burgess with a pitch.
Coty Graham provided three innings of scoreless relief to keep GSW within strking distance once Shelton was relieved after the sixth. Justin Graham followed Graham with two scoreless innings for the Hurricanes including working out of a jam in the 11th when he surrendered a leadoff triple.
Jerad Curry plated the final two for Armstrong in the 12th with a triple off Michael Ranieri (0-1).
Josh Larson picked up the save after working the 12th for the Pirates.
Hunt Smith went 2-for-4 at the plate in Game 1 to lead GSW batters.
GAME 2: ARMSTRONG 9, GSW 2
The Pirates scored four runs in the second inning and added three in the third to put the nightcap out of reach.
Barron doubled in the second inning and eventually scored to give the Hurricanes their first run of the game.
Sorrow made it a 7-2 contest when he smashed a solo home run to left field to lead off the fourth inning.
Armstrong tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning and another in the ninth.
Barron was the Hurricanes lone multi-hit performer in the finale. Hurricane batters struck out a season-high 13 times.
Cody Sherlin collected two hits and two RBIs for Armstrong. Will Austin went 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs.
GSW trotted five pitchers to the hill in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Mitch Holloway turned in the strongest performance with three innings of work. Holloway held Armstrong to one hit and was charged with one unearned run while walking three and striking out two. Daniel Perez threw 2 1/3 innings of hitless and scoreless relief with two walks and two strikeouts.
Armstrong starter J.T. Phillips (2-1) tossed five innings, allowed the two Hurricane runs, scattered five hits and struck out seven. Ryan Good earned his first save of the spring with four innings of scoreless relief. He walked one and struck out six.