Errors Doom Bucs as they Fall to Tigers 8-7

SAVANNAH STATE, Ga. – Eleven CSU hits were outweighed by five costly errors, including one that led to the winning run as the CSU Buccaneers fell to the Savannah State Tigers 8-7 on Tuesday afternoon at Tiger Field in Savannah Georgia. 

The loss, the third straight for the Bucs, drops them to 9-8 overall.  They will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. for a match up at USC Upstate on Wednesday before opening conference play at Liberty this weekend. 

Nick Chinners went 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI while Brantley Meier and Jaren Sustar each had two runs.  In his first career start, catcher Denis Buckley went 2-for-3 with a run.  Eight on the nine CSU batters who stepped to the plate had at least one hit.  

Levi Mauldin took the loss, giving up five earned runs off of eight hits in 6.1 innings. 

Julius Green went 2-for-4 for two runs and two RBI to lead the Tigers.  Matthew Ogelsby had a hit and two RBI as SSU had eight runs and eight hits.    Andrew Garren earned the win, giving up two hits and no earned runs in 2.0 innings. 

Sustar doubled in the first inning then was driven home by Chinners to put the Bucs up 1-0 early on.  Matt Still then doubled down the left field line and made it home when Tom Burkett grounded out to the short stop, putting CSU ahead 2-0 in the second inning.   

In the fourth inning Denis Buckley singled to centerfield for his first collegiate hit, and then eventually stole home for his first collegiate run.  After being hit by a pitch, Meier stole second before advancing to third and eventually home on wild pitches to give the Bucs the 3-0 lead.    Both Sustar and Chinners were walked, and the two were driven home when Derek Smith doubled to right center as the Bucs went into the bottom of the fourth with a 6-run lead.

However, the Tigers found their offensive rhythm in the fourth and began to play catch up.  Joseph McCrary and Dexter Kelley had back-to-back singles.  A CSU error put Emory Barkley on first and sent McCrary home to put the Tigers on the board at 6-1.  Russell Cooper reached first on a fielder’s choice, with Kelley scoring on the play to make it 6-2.   Cooper was then able to advance from first to home on a CSU error to bring the Tigers within three after four innings. 

Green bunted to reach first before eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly to bring the tigers within two in the fifth inning.   An inning later, Meier singled to center field before a single from Chinners brought him home to put the score at 7-4. 

A seventh inning rally by the Tigers would doom the Bucs.  Matthew Nowacki walked and then advanced when Kevin Herlihy doubled to left center.  Both Nowacki and Herlihy scored when Green doubled down the left field line, putting the score at 7-6.  Ogelsby singled to right field, driving home Green to tie things up at 7-7.  Cordarian Robertson, pinch running for Ogelsby, stole second and then made it home on consecutive CSU errors to give the Tigers the 8-7 win.