Launching pad at Lloyd: Cougars hit four more homers in win

ALTON, IL – The power hitting Cougars took the rubber-game of the three-game weekend series against UHSP posting a 17-4 win on Sunday in seven innings. Columbia hit four homeruns with three coming in a seven-run second inning including back-to-back homers from Dylan Carlton and Tyler Renn. Bradyn O'Neal hit a grand slam in that third while Carlton would hit his second homer of the game later in a five-run fifth.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

COLUMBIA 17, UHSP 4 (7 INNINGS)

• The grand slam by Braydn O'Neal was his first homerun and first RBI's of the year. It was Renn's 12^th of the year.
• Jacob Grim clubbed his team leading eighth homerun of the season in the second to make it a 7-1 game. UHSP added another run in the third when Brandon Gibbs stole third and Holden Campbell stole second. The throw to third went into left and Gibbs came into score. The steal of third by Gibbs was his 36^th of the year, matching his program record that he set last year.
• The scoring in the five-run fifth opened with a run coming on a wild pitch. Zac Fruend doubled in a pair and then Carlton hit a line-drive homer to center, his eighth of the year.
• The Eutectics plated two in the sixth thanks to a two-run ground-rule double from Jackson Hewitt who now has 21 RBI's on the season.
• Tyler Renn doubled down the rightfield line to drive in two with two outs in the seventh to make it 14-4. Joe Hoerchler added a run as he followed with a single through the left side to bring in Renn.
• Cape Girardeau product Kam Dohogne (3-1) got the start for Columbia and picked up the win going 5.2IP. He yielded four runs, seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
• Jacob Grim (6-2) labored through 4.2IP allowing 11 runs on eight hits. He issued six walks and fanned three.
• Columbia was 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position while UHSP was 2-for-8.
• The top five in the Cougar lineup combined to go 12-for-21 with nine runs scored and 12 RBI's.

NEXT UP:

The Eutectics (21-20, 12-9 AMC) will now head to the AMC Postseason Tournament, clinching a spot in the field for the second straight year. UHSP will be the 5-seed and play 4-Williams Baptist in Springfield at noon on Monday, April 27. The rest of the tournament field sees Columbia sit on the 1-line while Mission is the two-seed and Central Baptist occupies the 3-line.