TIFTON, Ga. - Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's baseball season with quite a bang Friday, two-hitting invading Columbia International in an 8-0 victory, then wrapping up with a two-run walk-off home run by Joseph Cooney in winning 8-6.
GAME 1
Columbia International started the opener off with a single - and that was essentially it for the Rams, whose only other hit came in the 5th. R.J. Jordan and
Owen Lamb shut down the visitors the rest of the way.
ABAC leaped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame courtesy of a double by
Chasin Cash that scored Quintin Rawls and a sacrifice fly by Cooney, plating
Dylan Davis.
A five-run third put the contest out of reach early.
Campbell boomed a grand slam to left-center, bringing home Cooney,
Drew Rothschild and Davis. Not done, the Stallions kept manufacturing baserunners.
Kam Taylor scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-0.
Davis supplied the final run of the first game, scoring on a Cooney single.
Meanwhile, Jordan and Lamb kept churning through the lineup. Jordan fanned 6 and, in a rare three-inning save, Lamb struck out 4.
Cooney was the only ABAC with 2 hits; they had 8 total. Campbell had 4 RBIs and Cooney, 2. Besides the homer, they added 5 doubles.
GAME 2
ABAC was in trouble in the bottom of the 7th.
The Stallions had scored three runs in the 6th to trail by a run but a double play in the 7th left them down to their last out. However, the tying run, Rawls, stood on third after he led off with a walk.
Chasin Cash tied it up at 6 on a double to deep right. Then Cooney ended it on a long homer over the tall fence in left field.
CIU went up 2-0 in the 2nd. ABAC squared the matter in the bottom of the 3rd.
Billy Girgis got them started with a single, advancing to 3rd on Rawls' double.
Dylan Davis then brought both home on a double.
The Rams regained the lead with a two-run 4th, then added two more in the 5th.
ABAC got back in it in the 6th, with help with some wild pitches. Cash struck out, but reached first on a pitch that got away. Cooney singled, then both moved up a bag on a wild pitch.
Kam Taylor grounded out, picking up an RBI as Cash scored.
Talan Watson followed by booming a home run to left to make it 6-5 before CIU escaped the inning.
Drew Hurst earned the victory in relief. Hurst threw three strong innings, surrendering two earned runs while striking out a pair and walking one.
Trypp Lumpkin started for ABAC, lasting four innings. He also struck out two with two earned runs.
Davis and Cooney had two hits apiece; ABAC had 10 total. Davis, Cooney and Watson drove in two runs each.
Columbia International had eight hits in the nightcap, but only one went for extra bases.
ABAC wrapped the opening series Saturday afternoon with its third win of the season.
