COUGARS TAME TIGERS OVER THE WEEKEND
CHATTANOOGA – The short trip to Hamilton County gave Cleveland State the chance to add two more wins to their record.
CHATTANOOGA – The short trip to Hamilton County gave Cleveland State the chance to add two more wins to their record.
The Cougars (7-2) came away from Chattanooga State (8-6) with two wins on Saturday, 5-4 in game one and 11-3 in game two, in a non-conference meeting. The two teams will play their TCCAA conference series at Cleveland State March 17 and 18.
"We played well with Jake Rogers and Hooper Mills leading the way on the mound in both games – both were in command all day," Cleveland State head baseball coach Mike Policastro said. "Our offense was able to sustain pressure in both games, getting contributions throughout the lineup."
Cleveland State hosts Piedmont College's JV team on Monday at 1 p.m. Live stats and video of the game can be found at www.cscougars.com
GAME ONE
The first game proved to be a close one between the Cougars and the Tigers. Cleveland State had nine hits and one error, while Chattanooga State had 10 hits and two hits in the one-run difference game.
Both teams put a run up on the scoreboard in the first inning and then the Cougars took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth. That became a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning.
Cleveland State scored their final two runs in the top of the seventh, with Chattanooga State giving them a fight and scoring three runs before the Cougars could close out the inning and the game.
Jake Rogers got the win, striking out 11 Tiger batters in 6.1 innings, while Walker Malone came in for the save.
Sean McDermott went 3-for-4 at the plate, knocking one over the fence for a solo homerun in the fourth. McDermott also drove in a teammate to get Cleveland State's scoring starting in the first inning.
Brett Browning was 2-for-3 at the plate which included a double and Jordan Ransom's hit out of three plate appearances was also a double.
John Sharpe and Hagan Kennedy both had a RBI in game one.
GAME TWO
After a very close first game, Cleveland State posted a dominating performance against Chattanooga State in an 11-3 win.
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead after the first inning and then were held scoreless in the second, third and fourth innings. Cleveland State's bats swung to life in the fifth and sixth innings, where they drove in five and four runs respectively. Their 11th and final run came in the top of the seventh inning.
Chattanooga State's three runs all came in the bottom of the sixth.
Hooper Mills (3-0) pitched 6.0 innings and struck out eight Tiger batters to get the win. Mills gave up only three runs and five hits in the game.
Sharpe homered and had two RBI in the top of the sixth. Ransom, Chase Fullington, Cameron Payne and Brandon Mason all hit a double in the game.
Payne was 3-for-4 at the plate and had four RBI, with teammates McDermott, Fullington and Elliot each driving a runner home.
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