Unable to hold three-run leads going into the bottom of the seventh in each game of the double header vs host East Georgia, State Cleveland State lost game one 9-8 and game two 11-10 in eight innings. The Saturday February 18 games were the culmination of what turned into a three-game series vs East Georgia with one game being played on Friday due to rain. The losses dropped the Cougars to a record of 4-6 on the young season.
Game One Recap
Using seven hits on the game the Cougars jumped to three-run leads in the first and seventh inning. Jacob Robinson drove in the first run with an RBI single and would later score on a wild pitch while AJ Swader would score the second run on a wild pitch.
East Georgia bounced back in the bottom of inning one with four runs to take a 4-3 lead and pushed across run five in the second. Cleveland State tied the game plating one in third and another in the fifth setting up what looked to be the heroics by Jaylen Jones in the seventh as he doubled with the bases loaded to drive in three giving the Cougars an 8-5 lead.
The eventual 9-8 loss came from a two-run homer and two-run RBI single from the bats of East Georgia in the bottom of the seventh. For the Cougars Riley Orr had two hits while Jones, Swader, Robinson, Cannon Stafford and Rhett Hammontree had one hit each. Jones had three RBI's while Robinson and Brandon LeJeune each drove in one.
Game Two Recap
12 hits and 10 runs in game two were not enough for Cleveland State as they had a one-run lead in the sixth and a three-run lead in the seventh only to loss 11-10 in eight innings.
On the game Bryce Burkey banged out three hits with two RBI's while LeJeune and Jones each had two hits with Jones also driving in two. Robinson, Ryan Stephens, Hammontree, Orr and Corey Fields had one hit each. Each hit by Robinson, Orr and Stephens produced single RBI's. Burkey, Jones and Bryson Trammell each had stolen bases.
On the game Cougar pitching gave up a meager three earned runs as Cleveland State turned three double plays. Both teams committed a combined 11 errors.
Next up Cleveland State heads to Wallace State Community College-Hanceville on Wednesday February 22 for a doubleheader with start times of 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. EST.
