Defensive Bobcats edge by Cougars 5-3 in NCAA Southeast Regional

FLORENCE, SC – Backed by a defense that made several spectacular plays, right-handers Eric Pettepher and Brendon Malkowski scattered 11 hits and ninth-ranked and third-seeded Georgia College & State University edged fourth-ranked and second-seeded Columbus State University 5-3, Saturday night (May 15) at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament.

GCSU (38-15) eliminates the Cougars (44-12) from the regional and advances to Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m. against host Francis Marion University.  The Bobcats are unbeaten in the regional so FMU would need to force an “if necessary game” at 4 p.m. to jostle the title from GCSU.

Pettepher (7-1) allowed three runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings, before giving way to Malkowski.  The senior earned his second save of 2010 by limiting CSU to one hit and no runs in 2.2 innings.

First baseman Matt Pitts was the lone GCSU player with multiple hits as he was 2-got-4 with a run scored.  Columbus State hurlers David Lane (6-2) and Chris Snipes held the Bobcats to only eight hits.

Five CSU players had two hits: Alex Montes, Eric Weiss, Jason Rogers, Ryan Lewis, and Cameron Griffin.

GCSU built a quick 4-0 advantage with a single run in the first and three tallies in the second.  Catcher Richard Pirkle drilled a two-run triple in the second frame, while the other two runs came home on RBI groundouts.

CSU scored twice in the fifth to trim the margin in half.  Montes and Rogers stroked RBI singles up the middle.  The rally was cut short when GCSU shortstop Chandler Snell made a diving stop behind the second base bag that started a highlight-reel inning-ending double play.

GCSU answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth on a run-scoring high chopper by Shawn Ward that bounded over the CSU third baseman.

Bobcat centerfielder Sean Harrell robbed CSU’s Wes Adkins of a home run by reaching over the center field fence and making an amazing catch with a runner on and no outs in the top of the sixth.

The Cougars scored once in the seventh on an RBI single by Lewis, but Malkowski retired eight of the 10 batters he faced to end CSU’s season.

QUOTES:

GCSU head coach Tom Carty: “When you build a team defensively, you want to be strong up the middle.  (Shortstop) Chandler (Snell) has been a four-year starter, and he really raises his game up in big situations.  (Second baseman) Jason (Veyna) has been a great compliment at second; then Sean (Harrell) robs a home run in center and it just all comes together.”

GCSU pitcher: Brendon Malkowski on his approach in a tight game: “I try to get the ball down and get ahead of the batters.  The team played so well tonight, I didn’t want to let them down.”

Columbus State head coach Greg Appleton:  “We gave it all we had.  We got down early and to their credit, they did what they had to do to win.

We hit some balls tonight that go out of every ball park in America except this one.

I hate to see this team not get a chance to play another game.

I am very proud of our seniors and how they led this team.  They will go down as one of the best.  CSU is held to a high standard and sometimes when you don’t get as far as expected it looks like the team was not as good as thought – not the case with this group.”