AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team was swept by Armstrong State University on Saturday afternoon in a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader at Hurricane Stadium. Armstrong won Game 1, 16-6, and Game 2, 7-3.
The Hurricanes did not score a run during innings three through eight in either contest. They scored seven of their nine total runs in the first and second innings over both games and tacked on a late run in the ninth inning of each contest.
GSW senior Alex Kranick extended his record-setting hitting streak to 30 games.
The Hurricanes finished the weekend with a record of 17-23 overall, 9-12 in the Peach Belt to slide into a three-way tie with Montevallo and Francis Marion for the eighth, and final, seed in the PBC Tournament with three league games remaining.
GSW travels to Middle Georgia State on Tuesday for a non-conference game before returning to Americus to host West Georgia on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the final home game of the season.
GAME 1: ARMSTRONG 16, GSW 6
The Hurricanes jumped out a 2-0 lead with the assist of a pair of Armstrong errors in the opening frame.
Following a two-run second inning from the Pirates to even the score at 2-2, Josh Logan made the most of a pair of GSW walks to start the bottom of the second when he belted a two-run triple to right field and scored on the next play off a sacrifice fly from Kranick.
GSW maintained its 5-2 lead until the fourth inning when Armstrong posted a three-run frame of its own to tie the game. The Pirates took its first and last lead of the opener in the sixth. With four runs in the seventh and another four in the eighth, the Hurricanes found themselves in a hole too deep to escape.
GSW starting pitcher Jordan McIlwain (2-6) exited after the sixth inning. McIlwain allowed 10 hits and three earned runs, walked four and struck out six. Jarrod Crum tossed 1 1/3 innings and Coty Graham pitched the final 1 2/3.
Jared Jones was the lone GSW batter to finish with multiple hits. Jones went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of walks.
Armstrong starting pitcher Tanner Hall (4-2) settled in after the second and finished with seven innings of work, allowing five hits and four earned runs. He walked five and struck out four. Nick Andress held GSW to one run over the final two innings.
Stetson Smith led the Armstrong attack at the plate with a 4-for-5 performance. Zack Goble and Mike Warren added three hits apiece. Chandler Corley, Ryan Patterson and Caleb Slaughter contributed three RBIs apiece.
GAME 2: ARMSTRONG 7, GSW 3
While Armstrong pushed a pair of runs across in each of the first two innings in the nightcap, GSW could only answer with one each time and found itself trailing 4-2 after the second inning of Game 2. The Hurricanes had the opportunity to equal the Pirates during that stretch, but left a pair of runners on base each inning and went on to strand 12 in the game.
Armstrong tacked on runs in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings to take a 7-2 lead to the ninth. GSW put a pair of runners on in the bottom half, scored one on a throwing error, but left the bases loaded when the final out was made.
GSW seniors Evan Alderman and Zach Barron had two hits and an RBI apiece in the finale.
GSW starting pitcher Dylan Brown (3-6) went six innings, threw 123 pitches, allowed seven hits and five earned runs. He walked seven batters and struck out four. Matt Hubbard held Armstrong to one run over the final three frames.
Mike Warren went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored four times to lead the Pirates.
Armstrong starting pitcher Matt Meeks (3-4) held GSW to a pair of runs over 7 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Sam Goberdhan and Nathan Ward covered the final 1 1/3.