GREENWOOD, S.C. – The University of Montevallo baseball team will face Columbus State University in a rematch Saturday, May 11 with its first trip to the Peach Belt Conference championship game on the line following a 15-2 loss to the Cougars May 10 at Dolny Stadium.
First pitch in the rematch between the Falcons, the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament, and No. 2 seed Columbus State is set for 2 p.m. CST. The winner will clinch a berth in the championship game Sunday, May 12.
First pitch in the championship game is set for noon CST.
The Falcons came up short of clinching a spot in the title game in their first shot at the Cougars in a game that saw a pair of double plays end scoring threats by Montevallo in the middle innings.
The Falcons loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning before a ball off the bat of Andrew Hill that seemed destined for the outfield fell into the glove of the Cougars' second baseman, who threw to short to complete the double play.
An inning later, Jackson Slaid grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
"Obviously, we didn't play well in any four phases of the game – pitching, defense, offense and baserunning," said Montevallo baseball coach Chandler Rose. "You can't afford to do that against a good team. We've got to put it behind us and come out and play the game the right way tomorrow."
Rose said he expects his team to have a different mindset in the rematch.
"Tomorrow is a one-game season," Rose said. "We've got to regroup. I'm confident these guys will do that. These guys are resilient."
Freshman Chase Bryant led Montevallo (33-19) offensively as he finished 3-for-4 at the plate and scored one run.
Sophomore Vinny Rodriguez went 2-for-5 at the plate and scored one run. Senior Austin Dubberly, juniors Will Fulmer and Jackson Slaid and freshman Michael Simmons each finished 1-for-4 at the plate. Dubberly and Simmons drove in one run each.
Junior starter Alex Guilford (7-4) took the loss after giving up 10 runs, five earned, on 12 hits with four strikeouts and three walks in seven innings.
Freshman Jake Christensen allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks in two innings in relief.
Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year Cameron Scott led Columbus State (30-21) offensively as he finished 3-for-6 at the plate with a double. Scott drove in four runs and scored two runs.
Columbus State starter Sean Muller (1-2) picked up the win after allowing two earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and four walks.
Columbus State jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Falcons plated a run in the bottom of the third inning to cut the deficit to 4-1. Bryant, who reached on a seeing-eye single, moved to second base on a single by Fulmer before scoring on a RBI single by Dubberly.
Montevallo plated its final run in the bottom of the sixth inning to trim the deficit to 6-2 when Rodriguez led off the inning with a single and moved to second base on a single by Slaid before scoring on a RBI single to left-center field by Simmons.
The Falcons opened the top half of the eighth inning with three consecutive errors and Columbus State capitalized with nine runs over the final two frames to secure the victory.
