FLORENCE, S.C. — The Armstrong Atlantic State women’s tennis team won the Peach Belt Conference title Saturday when rain washed out the final day of play.
The top-seeded Pirates were scheduled to meet the second-seeded Columbus State Cougars in the championship match.
By league rule, if a tournament cannot be completed, then the highest remaining seed is declared the tournament champion
With the decision, Armstrong captures its 11th straight Peach Belt Conference tournament title.
Armstrong freshman Dora Andrejszki was named the PBC Tournament Singles MVP for going 2-0 in singles play during the tournament. Doubles MVPs were not named as many teams went 2-0 over the weekend.
The Armstrong men took third in the conference when top seed Columbus State was declared the champion.
This snaps a streak of nine consecutive Peach Belt Conference tournament championships for the Armstrong men’s tennis program.
BASEBALL
ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC 9, UNC PEMBROKE 2
Armstrong Atlantic State scored seven runs in the eighth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and claim a Peach Belt Conference victory over UNC Pembroke.
The Pirates (23-14, 14-11 PBC) extended their winning streak to eight with the victory over the Braves (33-14, 15-10) and moved to within just a game of UNCP in the league standings. The two teams will wrap up their Peach Belt series with a noon doubleheader today.
Behind 2-0, the Pirates tied the game on a solo home run by Clayton Miller in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the sixth inning.
The Pirates then scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning without the ball leaving the infield on an error, a bases-loaded walk to Zach Lance and an RBI groundout by Joey Lupus.
Dalton Johnson capped the big inning with a grand slam home run to right field, his first career grand slam as a Pirate.
SAVANNAH STATE 6-5,
N.C. CENTRAL 3-3
Savannah State swept a doubleheader from North Carolina Central at Tiger Field.
In the first game, resumed from Friday, SSU (15-24, 6-11) scored five runs in the first inning, benefitting from two N.C. Central errors and a double by Charles Sikes.
Nix Parker and Hector Benitez had two hits for the Tigers.
In the second game, Savannah State broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the fifth. Sikes started it off with a double, and one out later, Benitez walked. Zachary Brigham singled to load the bases, and Lee Moore followed with a two-run single.
SSU starter Brandon Whitmore went 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking three, and reliever Kevin Herlihy (1-0) got the win in relief.
SAMFORD 7,
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 1
STATESBORO — Alex Ledford allowed two runs over 7 1/3 innings and Heath Quinn delivered the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Samford Bulldogs won the Southern Conference series opener over the Georgia Southern Eagles.
Ledford and Georgia Southern (26-14, 8-8) starter Sam Howard dueled for five innings before Samford (23-15, 8-5) was able to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning.
Ledford faced the minimum in both the sixth and seventh innings before walking Stryker Brown to start the eighth inning. Brown scored the Eagles’ second run of the day on Kody Adams’ infield single
WOMEN’S GOLF
Pirates finish fifth
PINE MOUNTAIN — Armstrong Atlantic State University shot a 320 to finish fifth at the rain-shortened Peach Belt Conference Championships.
The tournament was shortened from 54 holes to 18 holes. UNC Pembroke carded a 306 to capture the tournament by five strokes over Montevallo (311) with No. 8 Flagler (313) finishing third.
Jenna Birch tied for 10th with a 7-over 78.
Kristen Sammarco tied for 14th after shooting an 8-over 79, Brendie Rockholt shot an 81 to tie for 17th, and Pamela Mosley tied for 21st with an 82. Kiley Mettler rounded out Armstrong’s scoring with an 83, tying for 25th.
MEN’S GOLF
Armstrong takes fourth at PBC
PINE MOUNTAIN — Armstrong Atlantic State fired a 296 to finish fourth at the rain-shortened 2014 Peach Belt Conference Championships at the Callaway Gardens Mountain View Course.
Heavy rains on Friday forced the tournament to be shortened to 18 holes.
Second-ranked USC Aiken shot a 291 to capture the league title by two strokes over No. 17-ranked Georgia College (293), with UNC Pembroke (295) finishing third.
Shad Tuten shot a 3-under-par 69 to finish just one stroke behind the champion, USC Aiken’s Brandon Robinson-Thompson.