By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
CHATTANOOGA - It was a cat fight to the bitter end on Saturday afternoon as the Cougars of Cleveland State ventured south to do battle with their arch rival, the Tigers of Chattanooga State. In the season finale for both teams, the Tigers won the battle as they took two out of three in the weekend conference series from the Cougars with a win on Friday by a final score of 5-4. The Cougars (36-16, 18-9) needed extra innings in the first game on Saturday to get a 3-1 win and the Tigers roared to a big 12-2 win in the back end of the twinbill to take the series. The Cougars had already won the war as they had wrapped up the second seed in next week's conference tournament to be held at Columbia State.
In the first game on Saturday, the Tigers jumped on top with a run in the bottom of the first inning as Adam Whitlock singled in a run for a 1-0 advantage.
The Cougars tied the game in the top of the third as John Cervantes doubled to lead off the frame, moved to third and later scored on a wild pitch.
That would be all the scoring for a while as Cougar starting pitcher, Ben Booker and Tiger's starter Will Phillips took turns putting zeros on the board with ease for the next several innings. The Cougars threatened in the sixth, but were turned away while the Tigers mounted a rally in the seventh, but Booker worked his way out of a jam to send the game into extra innings.
The Cougars were finally able to get the bats going in the top of the ninth as Cory Hilton singled to start the uprising. Adam Hindman came through in the clutch with a frozen rope single up the middle of the diamond to put the visitors on top and the Cougars then tacked on an insurance run on a Tiger miscue to provide a two-run cushion for Booker.
The Tigers didn't go quietly though, as back to back one-out singles knocked Booker from the game, but Chris Anslemo came on to record the final two outs pick up his sixth save of the season and secure the win.
Booker turned in another outstanding game, tossing eight plus innings scattering eight hits and fanning 10 Tigers along the way to pick up the win while Tiger closer, Tyler Burstrom took the loss. Hindman led the Cougars with two hits while Zack DeBord had two hits for the Tigers (28-17, 11-13).
In the second game on Saturday, the Tigers roared early and often as they whitewashed the Cougars in only five innings. The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first without the benefit of a hit, and scratched out another run in the second on a Tiger error, but it didn't last long as the Tigers put seven runs on the board over the next two innings to knock Cleveland State starter, Travis Tingle from the game.
Back to back RBI doubles from DeBord and Dexter Scudgins got the Tiger offense rolling in the first while and RBI single from Whitlock and a bases loaded walk helped the home team take a 7-2 lead.
DeBord padded his stats in the third with another RBI single while the Tigers put the game out of reach with four more in the fourth to end the game in the fifth inning.
Whitlock led the Tigers with three hits while DeBord went 2-3 and Jacob Price added two hits to the 15 hit Tiger attack. Adam Hindman had the only Cougar hit in game two as Chattanooga State starter, Travis Murphy went all five innings allowing just the one hit, no earned runs and striking out five along the way to get the win. Tingle took the loss for the Cougars while Phil Mariani, Fromm and Stephen Pryor all pitched in relief.
On Friday the Cougars dropped the opening game of the series as the Tigers rallied in the late innings to get the win.
Cory Hilton crushed a solo homer in the top of the first inning to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. That lead stood up until the bottom of the fourth as Morgan Costner tied the game for the Tigers with an RBI single.
Cleveland State jumped back on top with three runs in the sixth on a fielder's choice grounder from Cody Hooper, a sacrifice fly by Hindman and a Tiger error for a 4-1 lead.
Chattanooga State cut the lead to a single run in the bottom of the sixth as DeBord doubled in a pair of runs. An inning later the Tigers took the lead for good as a pair of crucial Cleveland State miscues led to two runs on a single from Whitlock and a 5-4 win.
Brian Satterfield started and picked up the win and Burstrom got the save for the Tigers while Josh Carpenter and Corey Davidson also pitched in relief. Jay Bolen suffered only his third loss of the season while Chad Fromm pitched in relief for the Cougars. Seven Cougars had a hit apiece while DeBord, Costner and Andy Marinelli all had two hits each for the Tigers.
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