Cougars Make It 21 Straight

Columbus, Ga. -- Columbus State got four two-run homers from four different hitters and left starter Jordan Freeman combined with two relievers to limit Stillman to just six hits and one run in a 12-1 win at a wet Ragsdale Field on Wednesday. The win moves CSU to 22-2 on the seasons and extends its overall and home winning streaks to 21 games and 15 games, respectively.

Freeman tossed five innings of four-hit ball, limiting the Tigers to just four hits and one run. He walked two and fanned six before giving way to Drew Cox. Cox allowed two hits and struck out two in two innings of work, while Logan Foster pitched one inning without allowing a baserunner and struck out one. Freeman ran his season mark to 2-0 with the win.

Jason Rogers got CSU off and running offensively as he slammed a Ryan McVay pitch off the wall of the Cunningham Center beyond the wall in left-center for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. The clout was Rogers' 15th of the season and scored Eric Weiss.

The Cougars added three more runs in the third inning, getting a sacrifice fly from Cameron Griffin to score Ryan Lewis, and another two-run homer - this time from second-baseman Scoop Pharr. That rally made it 5-0.

Stillman got on the board in the fourth inning with its only run. Sean Blair walked to lead off the frame and then moved to third on Mike Jackson's double to the gap in left-center. Blair then scored on a sacrifice fly by Dion Bryant to make it 5-1 at that point.

CSU added three more runs in the fifth inning to run the lead to 8-1. Lewis reached on an error, stole second and then stole third and scored on an errant throw for the first run of the inning. Eric Skinner followed with a double to deep right-center and came home on Griffin's third homer in two games - the third two-run homer of the game for CSU.

Back-to-back doubles in the seventh by Alex Montes and Weiss accounted for two runs to make it 10-1 and then Lewis ended the game as his two-run shot to left-center invoked the mercy rule and ended the game in the bottom of the eighth.

Lewis had four hits in five trips to the plate to lead the Cougars, followed by Griffin's 3-3 day with three RBI. Weiss and Pharr added two hits apiece as CSU collected 15 safeties in the game.

McVay took the loss for the Tigers (11-14). He went five innings and allowed 10 hits and eight runs with three walks. Stillman used three other pitchers to finish the game. Rey Valdes was the only Tiger hitter with two or more hits as he went 2-4 in the contest.

CSU returns to action on Friday evening at Ragsdale Field as they host Georgia College & State University to begin a three-game Peach Belt Conference series. The 5 p.m. single game starts the series and it will conclude with a 1 p.m. double header on Saturday. Stillman travels to Augusta to face Paine College on Thursday.