Columbia
South Alabama
Columbia Rallies in the Eighth Inning to Defeat South Alabama, 5-2
3/13/2011 4:32:00 PM | Baseball
MOBILE, Ala. - Down 1-0 in the eighth, Columbia busted out for three runs to make a winner out of Dan Bracey, who pitched seven terrific innings for the Lions as Columbia held on for a 5-2 win over South Alabama on Sunday afternoon. Tim Giel tossed the final two innings for the save.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when South Alabama produced consecutive two-out doubles by starting pitcher Brad Hook and Jerry Roam, the eight and nine hitters.
Columbia starter Dan Bracey didn't give up anything past that, as he threw 104 pitches over seven innings. He allowed six hits and two walks and struck out four.
Hook was just as good, scattering seven hits through seven and two-thirds innings. Hook departed with two outs in the eighth and a runner on at first. Sidearmer Kyle Dees came on in relief to face Nick Cox, who had two hits in three at-bats to that point.
After a wild pitch advanced the runner into scoring position, Cox ripped a 1-2 pitch down the right field line that kicked just fair and scored the tying run to make it a 1-1 game on the run-scoring double.
With Cox at second and Alexander Aurrichio at the plate, another pitch got past Jaguar catcher Brent Mitchell and scooted to the backstop. Cox alertly dashed to third and headed home when Mitchell could not find the ball at first. The go-ahead run crossed the plate and the Lions led 2-1.
After a South Alabama error and another passed ball advanced pinch-runner Nick Crucet to second base, Nick Ferraresi lined a run-scoring single into left center to plate Columbia's third run of the inning, making it 3-1.
Tim Giel came on in relief of Bracey to start the eighth and ran into some trouble, loading the bases with two outs. A run scored on a hit batsman to make it 3-2 and South Alabama had the go-ahead run in scoring position for Taylor White.
White attacked the first pitch from Giel and lined it hard into the outfield but right at Ferraresi in right field, who made the catch to keep Columbia ahead 3-2.
In the ninth, the Lions tacked on two insurance runs after Alex Godshall led off with his third hit of the day. Godshall eventually scored with two outs on a wild pitch by Cory McGinnis to make it 4-2. Billy Rumpke drew a walk to keep the inning alive, advanced to second on a wild pitch and came around to score on Cox's fourth hit of the game, a line shot past the third baseman and into left field as Columbia went ahead, 5-2.
Giel allowed a leadoff double to Mitchell to start the bottom of the ninth but came back to strike out the next two batters on called third strikes and retired leadoff man Logan Kirkland on a groundout to Alex Ferrera as the Lions notched their first win of the series with the Jaguars.
Bracey improved his record to 2-0 on the season with the victory while Giel earned the second save of his collegiate career. Dees suffered the loss for South Alabama, his first of the season against three wins.
Now 3-3 on the season, Columbia will square off against South Alabama in the final game of the series on Monday, March 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Central time.
NOTES:
Nick Cox posted his fourth multiple-hit game in the first six games of the season ... Cox also stole his first base of the season in the ninth inning ... Mike Fischer went 2-for-4 in the game and threw out two runners trying to steal ... Fischer has thrown out four runners in four attempts this series ... South Alabama used five relief pitchers in the final inning and one third ... Columbia turned a double play for the third straight game.
