Cougars Earn Split on Marathon Day at West Alabama

Livingston, Ala. -- Columbus State and West Alabama played a scheduled double header into the equivalent of a triple header on Sunday as West Alabama took game one 6-5 in 18 innings, while CSU came back to take the nightcap 7-2. The 18-inning game was the longest game in each team's history and lasted five hours and 21 minutes.

CSU led 3-0 after the top of the seventh inning in the opener, thanks to a Cameron Griffin RBI single in the second and single runs on UWA errors in the fourth and seventh innings. The Tigers cut the margin to one with two runs in the seventh on a Dallas Rogers single and an RBI groundout by Douglas Frazier. The Tigers tied the game in the eighth, with the tying run coming home after a balk and an error by Cougar shortstop Eric Skinner.

The Cougars went ahead in top of inning number 13 as Noah Watkins singled home Cameron Griffin, who had doubled with one out. UWA answered in the bottom of the frame as Bryan Mason doubled in a run after two walks by CSU reliever Jordan Freeman.

CSU again pulled ahead in the 16th as Ryan Lewis plated Jason Rogers with a sacrifice fly after Rogers had doubled and Mitch Rider walked, and Eric Weiss' single to load the bases. UWA again answered with the tying run in the bottom of the inning, this time on a sacrifice fly by Colin McKeen.

The Cougars put two runners on in the top of the 18th but could not push across a run. Mason singled for UWA in the bottom of the inning and promptly stole second. He then moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on Frazier's sacrifice fly to right field with the game winner.

The marathon game wasted a great performance by CSU starter Iain Sebastian. Sebastian went five innings and allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks. CSU used five pitchers in the game with Logan Foster suffering the loss after 2.2 innings of work in which he allowed two earned runs.

Eric Skinner and Griffin led CSU with three hits each in the game as CSU collected 14 hits as a team. Skinner set a new record for at-bats in a single game with nine in the contest. Weiss, Lewis, and Watkins had two hits each.

In the nightcap, lefty Chris Snipes went six strong innings to pick up the win. Snipes fanned four and walked two, allowing just three hits and one run to take the win. David Lane pitched the seventh and allowed four hits and a run to finish up.

Weiss singled home two runs in the sixth and Jason Rogers knocked in another with an infield hit to break open a tight game. The Cougars added two more runs in the seventh as Skinner doubled in a run and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

Rogers and Skinner led a 10-hit CSU offense with two hits each. Mitch Rider also had an RBI in the game.

CSU returns to action on Thursday as they travel to Albany State for a 4 p.m. contest with the Golden Rams.