TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Augusta State split the twin bill at Stillman, winning game one 10-5 with 12 hits and dropping game two 2-1 on a late game homerun Saturday afternoon.
ASU (6-10) junior Lefty Kip Custer (5-4) went 7.0 innings in the start of game one, allowing 10 hits for five runs and striking out two. Senior right-hander Josh Barks came in for 2.0 innings where he struck out six and gave up no hits.
ASU sealed game one in the first inning after they went up 4-0 over the Tigers and never let down offensively. JD Sabo walked to lead off the game for ASU and freshman Lance Mangrum singled before Jeff Rice loaded the bases with a bunt single. Hunter Boose knocked a two-RBI double to center field and Seth Foster hit a sacrifice fly in his next at bat to score Rice. Kevin Dodson belted an RBI-single to center to notch four early runs.
Stillman got one back in the second, third and fifth inning to close it at 4-3, but the Jags blew it open in the sixth with five more. The Tigers walked in the first run, after two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Sabo singled for two RBIs before Boose did the same two batters later. Stillman plated two in the seventh, but one more ASU run in the eighth, off a Foster single, took game one.
Game two was scoreless through four, until Rice grounded out to the short stop to score the Jags' leading and only run of the game. Stillman answered in the sixth when Fernado Tanaka singled and Nick Boggs hit a two-run homer to right field for the go-ahead runs to win game two.
ASU's Sabo went 4-for-8 with three runs and two RBIs while Boose was 5-for-9 with four RBIs on the day. Dodson was 4-for-7 with a run and RBI and Mangrum went 3-for-8 with a run.
Junior Clint Echols gave up three hits for two runs and struck out three in 6.0 innings of work in game two.
ASU completes the weekend series with Stillman tomorrow, Mar. 3 at 1:00 p.m. for a single non-conference game.
