Cleveland State travelled to Motlow State Community College on Friday March 24 and Saturday March 25 for a three game conference series losing 12-11 and winning 9-3 on day one in the seven-inning doubleheaders while winning the nine-inning single game in 10 innings 11-9 on day two.
The Cougars are now 17-10 overall and have a conference mark of 8-3. Cleveland State is in second place in the TCCAA 1.5 games out of first place.
Game One Recap… Friday March 24
Cleveland State started the doubleheader day immediately in the hole giving up six runs in three innings in the first game down 6-0 going in to the fourth. That's when the comeback started as Rhett Hammontree homered, Jaylen Jones drove home a run with a single, AJ Swader plated the third run of the inning while Riley Orr singled in the fourth run of the inning putting the Cougars two runs behind Motlow.
Motlow answered with a run giving them a short lived 7-4 score as the Cougars exploded for six runs in the fifth taking a 10-7 lead. Bryce Burkey doubled home two, Bryson Trammell singled in one, two more runs scored on a double play ball, Swader hit a solo homerun with Jacob Robinson plating the sixth run of the inning with a single.
In the fifth and sixth innings Motlow scored five to take a 12-10 lead as Cleveland State's seventh inning rally came up one run short with the final score ending 12-11.
On the game the Cougars had 13 hits as Orr went 4-for-5 and Swader banged out two homeruns. Robinson had two hits while Trammell, Jones, Hammontree, Avery Collins and Burkey each had one. On the game Cleveland State used four pitchers.
Game Two Recap… Friday March 24
Cleveland State pitch Carter Fink went the distance in the 9-3 win striking out 10 while giving up only five hits. Fink was supported by another game of 13 hits including four Cougar homeruns, two off the bat of Brandon LeJeune and one each from Swader and Robinson. For Swader it was his third on the doubleheader day.
LeJeune started the Cougar scoring in the second inning blasting a solo homerun for a 1-0 lead. Motlow came back with two and then from then on it was Cleveland State. In the third Jones started with a single setting the table for a two-run homerun off the bat of Swader. Two batters later after a single by Orr, LeJeune blasted another two-run homer. Colby Taylor finished the scoring in the third with a single driving home Hunter Ryan giving Cleveland State a 6-2 lead.
The Cougars added a run in the fifth on a Robinson homerun and two more in the sixth, one on a RBI from Swader and another on an error for the 9-3 win.
Jones, Swader, Robinson and LeJeune each had two hits while Hammontree, Orr, Ryan, Taylor and Corey Fields had one hit each.
Game Three Recap… Saturday March 25
After jumping out to a 3-0 lead Cleveland State found themselves down 7-3 going into the seventh inning in the nine-inning rubber game of the series. The Cougars used four hits, two walks and a balk to scored five runs to take the lead. Motlow was quick to score two in the bottom of the seventh to take a one run lead, 9-8.
Neither team scored in the eighth but with one out in the top of the nineth, the Cougars would score one to tie the score at nine as Hammontree and Jones singled followed by another single from Swader plating Hammontree.
Motlow went quietly in their half of the nineth, three up three down setting up Cougar heroics in the top of the 10th. With one out Ryan Stephens homered giving Cleveland State a one run lead and then for good measure Jones drove home Reggie Cooper who had singled and had moved up on the bases on a single by Hammontree.
Andrew Kribbs took the 11-9 win for the Cougars twirling 3.2 innings while giving up two hits. In the bottom of the 10th Motlow led off with a single followed by a fly out with the game ending as Kribbs induced a double play ground out.
After 13 hits in both game one and game two of the series Cleveland State kept their foot on the gas and banged out 16 hits in game three.
Jones went 5-for-6 while Trammell chipped in with three hits of his own. Hammontree and Swader each had two hits with one each from Orr, LeJeune, Stephens and Cooper. On the game the Cougars used a total of four pitchers.
What's Next
Cleveland State is scheduled to be back in action at Cougar Baseball Field on Tuesday March 28 playing host to Wallace State Community College-Hanceville. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. EST. Cougar Baseball Field is on the Campus of Cleveland State.
