PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida baseball team fell victim to a trio of ninth-inning runs as Columbus State took a 7-4 decision at Jim Spooner Field on Tuesday night.
 
"We're still not swinging the bats very well, but we seem to be snakebit when we get to that seventh, eighth, ninth innings. We got to find a way to hold them down, and give Columbus State credit for their comeback," said head coach Mike Jeffcoat.
 
UWF (23-19) opened the game with a first-inning run thanks to a Nick Kerkmann RBI single through the right side of the infield, allowing Brandon Harmon to score.  
 
Steve McClellan made his first career start after 35 career relief appearances as an Argonaut and posted a scoreless first and second inning. McClellan ended the first inning with back-to-back strikeouts, including an inning-ending strikeout of his cousin Mason McClellan in the first.
 
CSU (25-16) posted a pair of runs in the top of the third after a walk, two stolen bases, and a wild pitch allowed Justin Evans and Gunar Drinnen to cross the plate and give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.
 
The Argos responded quickly in the bottom of the third by tying the game with a RBI single from Robert Lopez. The teams remained deadlocked until Chase Kiefer gave UWF its second lead of the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Tanner Halstead in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Late-inning woes for the Argonauts began in the top of the eighth, as CSU posted a two-run, three-hit frame to take a 4-3 lead. The Argonauts responded again and tied the game with Kiefer providing another clutch RBI with a bases-loaded infield single on a high chopper to third base.
 
On the first pitch of the ninth inning, CSU's Justin Evans delivered his eighth home run of the year to give CSU a 5-4 lead. The Cougars added a pair of insurance runs and solidified the win by retiring the Argonauts in order in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Kerkmann and Lopez each went 2-for-5 to lead the offense. Lopez extended his on-base streak to a team-best 17 games, while Kiefer posted a game-high two RBI in the setback.
 
On the mound, McClellan finished his outing with three innings pitched, two runs allowed and two strikeouts J.A. Harville posted two innings of hitless relief and Jared Middleton went 2.1 innings with three hits and one run allowed with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Jarrod Petree fell to 4-3 on the year with five hits and three runs allowed.
 
Trace Penton is scheduled to make the start in tomorrow afternoon's contest against Columbus State. First pitch from Jim Spooner Field is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
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