AUGUSTA, Ga., - The Augusta University baseball team returned to Lake Olmstead Stadium for the 2017 home opener on Wednesday afternoon and fell 10-7 to the Erskine Flying Fleet.
Augusta (0-4) sparked a ninth-inning comeback against the Fleet (3-2), but the early deficit was too much in the non-conference loss. AU senior Tyler Roberts went 3-4 with three RBI and a run. Freshman Carrington Evans entered the game as a substitution and went 3-3 with three runs and an RBI. Senior Clint Hardy had a 2-for-5 day and junior Jim Wagner 1-4 with a walk.
Erskine had 15 hits to AU's 12. Chaz Davey went 2-3 with two runs and an RBI and Austin Looker was 2-4 with a run and RBI.
Erskine scored a pair in the first and second innings and added one in the fourth and fifth for a 6-0 lead. Erskine's Alex Calvert pitched 6.2 innings in the start and had a no-hitter until Evans lined an opposite-field single in the bottom of the fifth.
Roberts roped an RBI single to left field to put AU on the scoreboard in a 6-1 game in the sixth inning. Roberts connected on another hit through the left side in the next inning to score Carrington again for a 6-2 game and senior Jamal Cummings scored from third on an error.
The Jags clawed back and made it 10-7 in their last at bat, but they fell short.
Calvert (1-0) pitched 6.2 innings and struck out 14 batters, while giving up six hits for four runs.
The Augusta bullpen used five arms in the game. AU junior righty David Hagelston started on the mound and went 2.0 innings to surrender four runs on four hits. Noah Fairbairn, Jordan Kelly, Tony Jones, and Jake Wotell all logged innings.
Augusta gets a rematch against the West Georgia Wolves on Saturday, Feb. 11 for a 4:00 p.m. single non-conference game at Lake Olmstead Stadium. The Jags play on Sunday, Feb. 12 to meet UWG again at 1:00 p.m. AU will play all home games at Lake Olmstead this season.
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