NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Augusta University baseball team sparked an eighth-inning rally at Newberry on Wednesday night, but couldn't complete the comeback to fall 4-3 in non-conference action on the road.
The last time Augusta (13-15) and Newberry (20-14) met, the teams endured a 17-inning battle at Lake Olmstead Stadium. The Wolves pulled out the win in a game with 28 combined hits and fought off the Jags in the second meeting to survive by a run.
Sophomore Chase Slone (0-2) got the midweek start for Augusta and went four innings to allow seven hits for three runs. Junior Casey Lenoch entered in the fifth and struck out his first two batters looking. He tossed a pair pf innings and gave up a solo run on three hits, before senior Cody Pugh struck out two in a couple of innings.
Senior Clint Hardy had two doubles for AU in a 3-4 night and junior Brent Alford was 1-3 with two RBI. Junior Jim Wagner also had an RBI on one hit as the Jaguars totaled nine hits to Newberry's 11.
The Wolves were led by Danton Hyman who went 3-4 with a run and Trejon Smith and Tommy Passarello each had two hits.
Newberry hit two singles in the second inning and scored an unearned run after a runner advanced to second base on a failed pickoff attempt. Two singles and a walk in the fourth inning loaded the bases for Passerello to hit a two-run double.
Down by three, Augusta got within one when Alford blasted a two-run double to score Will Zimmer and Ty Hobbs. After the Wolves added one more in the sixth, Augusta carded a late run in the eighth when Wagner plated Tyler Roberts. Hardy was behind Roberts on the base path and got thrown out at the plate trying to tie the game.
Christian Zellner (2-0) pitched 7.2 innings and surrendered three runs for seven hits. Dylan Southerland pitched out of the eighth inning before Newberry closer Charlie Fessler finished the ninth.
The Jags host Paine College on Wednesday, March 29 for a 5:00 p.m. single game at Lake Olmstead Stadium.
Augusta heads to Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., for a three-game, non-conference series March 31-April 1. The Jags play a single game against the Catawba Indians on Friday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. and compete in a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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