The Clark Atlanta University Panthers baseball team had a tough weekend at Bill Evans Field in College Park, Ga., last weekend, dropping three games to Albany State University.
The Panthers (7-25, 1-10 SIAC) went into the match-up on a five-game losing streak after winning consecutive games over Edward Waters University and Morris College.
The weekend started Friday with CAU taking on an Albany State (18-7, 17-2 SIAC), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's second-place team that was coming off a three-game series sweep of Tuskegee.
CAU jumped out early in Game I on Friday, with
Arthur Burrell opening the bottom of the first with a double to left field. He scored on
Andrew Gaskin's ground out to put CAU up 1-0. The next inning, Albany State took the lead when Malik Bell successfully bunted and then stole second. He then scored on an error by
Winston Noel. ASU's Hill Corley, who reached on that Noel error, scored on an
Eason Bing error, giving ASU a 2-1 lead.
After that, the floodgates began to open. Over the next five innings, CAU only managed two hits while ASU broke the game open with four runs in the third, six in the fourth, four in the fifth, and then four in the sixth to take a 20-1 lead, eventually winning 22-6.
Burrell led CAU with two hits, a run batted in and a run scored.
Charles Barber had a hit and drove in two runs, while Noel had a hit and an RBI. On the mound,
Asa Waites took the loss as he gave up seven hits and 12 runs, six of them earned.
ASU was led by Nathan Lloyd who had three hits, three RBIs and scored two runs. Bradley Smith had a three-run homer, while Nicholas Hernandez two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Jeremiah Reddell got the win for the Golden Rams as he gave up just one run on four hits, walking one and striking out eight.
In the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, ASU pitcher Jonathan Henry held the Panthers to five hits and one run in the Golden Rams' 19-1 win over CAU.
Jerry Freeman homered for CAU's only run.
Justice Page, Barber, DeAndre Swift, and
Khalil Manuel also had hits for CAU.
Michael Fegins was one of six pitchers that CAU used. He took the loss after giving up nine runs and nine hits over two-and-a-third innings.
D'Artrey Brinson struck out two over two-and-two-thirds innings and gave up one earned run.
ASU was led at the plate by Kam Chase who went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Hill who had two doubles among his three hits, driving in two runs and scoring three times. Pierce Thomas added two hits, including a homer, four RBIs and two runs scored.
The series' final game was a close one, as CAU fireballer
Lorenzo Petersen befuddled ASU hitters. Petersen gave up only one run and three hits over the first seven innings, while striking out seven batters. But with two outs in the top of the eighth of a 1-1 game, a Page error led to one Golden Ram reaching. Petersen then hit a batter, followed by a double by Tyler McConnell that scored a run to put ASU up 2-1.
Page came on to pitch after another batter reached on an error that led to another score. He gave up a single that scored McConnnell. CAU was able to load the bases in the bottom of the inning as Noel walked, Barber reached on an error and
Darrin Brown walked. But Elijah Dennis came on for ASU to strike out Burrell and Waites to end the game and the CAU rally.
Andrew Gaskin had CAU's two hits and drove in the Panthers' only run. Petersen went seven-and-two-thirds on the mound, striking out seven and giving up four hits and four runs, but none of those runs were earned.
ASU's McConnell had a hit, drove in a run and scored once while Hernandez had a hit and an RBI. Brady Davis got the win for ASU after giving up one hit and striking out four over four innings. Tyler Bullock got the save after he gave up a run and a hit while striking out four.
CAU heads to South Carolina this weekend where they will take on Morris College at 2 p.m. on Friday, and then Benedict College in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game that begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
