Tigers Sweep ABAC 14-8 & 5-3; Big Lumber in Game 1; Phillips Shines in Game 2
CUTHBERT, Ga. -- The Andrew College baseball team swept ABAC on Saturday afternoon at the Hord Athletic Complex, belting 3 homers, 4 doubles, and a triple among 15 hits in the 14-8 game one win, then rode 4.1 innings of superb relief pitching from Cotton Phillips in game two, while battling back from an early 3-0 deficit, to take the 5-3 win and climb to 7-6 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA), good for 3rd place, just 2 games out of 1st place.
With 11 wins in the last 16 games, Andrew has clawed back to one game below .500, but this week's series win may prove to be the turning point in the year. Following a devastating 12-11 loss on Tuesday to ABAC, after leading 11-0, the season appeared to be slipping away. After racing out to a 9-1 lead in Thursday's game, ABAC closed to within 9-7, before Brady Jones slammed the door shut for the 9-7 win. In game one on Saturday, after jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, ABAC again rallied, drawing to 7-6 after the top of the 5th inning. This time the offense exploded, putting up 7 runs in the bottom of the 5th, and put the game away. In game two on Saturday, for the first time all series, ABAC jumped out to the early lead, 3-0 after the top of the 4th inning, but Phillips settled the ship, Andrew put up 1 run in the 4th, then 4 runs in the 5th, and Phillips faced only one minor jam the rest of the way, ending the game on a bounce out with the tying run at 1st base. Head Coach Blake Williams had this to say following Saturday's sweep, "Tuesday's loss was one of the worst I have ever been a part of and the same goes for our players. When we got back late Tuesday night from the game I pulled them all together in a classroom to make sure we were all on the same page and not to let that loss define who we are. The players responded beautifully all weekend long and couldn't be prouder of the resiliency they showed."
Kevin Henry paced the Tiger offense in game one Saturday, going 2 for 4, belting a 3-run home and doubling in a run and scoring twice, Justin Barr was 3 for 3, doubling, driving in 2 runs and scoring a pair, Robert Malone went 2 for 3 with a solo home run and a triple, while driving in a pair of runs and scoring twice, Andrew Bourque went 2 for 3 with a solo homer and 2 RBI while scoring 2 runs, Clint Sellers was 2 for 4, with two runs scored and an RBI, LJ Bryant was 2 for 4 with a double, and Brenton Phillips doubled in 2 runs. Hunter Norman won his 2nd decision in a row and 3rd of the season, allowing 2 runs and striking out 4 in 3.1 innings.
In game two, Phillips scattered 4 hits over 4.1 innings, while allowing just 1 earned run and striking out 2 to earn his first collegiate win, while lowering his ERA to a team-best 2.70. Joey Fletcher went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, Henry was 2 for 3 with an RBI, Barr was 2 for 3 with a pair of runs scored, and Phillips drove in a run with a sacrifice fly,
The Tigers take on South Georgia State in next week's series, with a single nine inning game on Tuesday night at 6:00 pm at the Hord Athletic Complex. The game will be broadcast at andrewfightingtigers.com
Thursday's game and Saturday's doubleheader will be played in Douglas, GA
