WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – The Columbia College Cougars used a historic sixth-inning home run and a four-run seventh inning to pull away from the Williams Baptist Eagles for a 9-3 victory Friday afternoon in game one of a three-game American Midwest Conference series at Shell Field.
Columbia improves to 17-7-1 overall and 8-1-1 in conference play with the win.
Both teams traded zeroes through the first two innings before Columbia struck first in the third. Zac Fruend singled to lead off, and Dylan Carlton followed with a double to right to put runners on second and third. Tyler Renn grounded out to score Fruend, then Braden Hemmer singled to center to score Carlton and push the lead to 2-0.
Williams Baptist responded in the bottom half. Will Riley doubled and came around to score on a Cade Parks single. Lawson Aaron then lofted a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2.
The Cougars answered in the fourth when Carlton reached on an error by the Eagles' right fielder, allowing Fruend to score an unearned run and put Columbia back in front 3-2. In the fifth, a balk by reliever Kaden Martin brought home Hemmer to make it 4-2.
Then came the moment of the afternoon. With two outs in the sixth, Renn stepped in and launched a solo home run — the 51st of his career — to extend the lead to 5-2 and tie the Columbia College program record. Renn now shares the all-time mark with Brayden McGinnis.
The Cougars put the game away in the seventh. Eli Miller doubled and Hunter Hees walked before both scored on a Jack Dunn double to right field. Dunn then scored on a Tyler Renn fielder's choice, and Fruend crossed the plate on a wild pitch to cap a four-run frame and push the final margin to 9-3. Williams Baptist scored once in the bottom of the inning on a Skylar Morrison single, but it was too little, too late.
Starter Kolten Payne worked four innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and striking out six. Eric Fields was dominant in relief, tossing three innings and punching out six more while surrendering just one earned run on two hits to close out the victory.
Statistical Leaders: CC def. Williams Baptist, 9-3
- Tyler Renn went 1-for-5 with a solo home run — the 51st of his career, tying the Columbia College all-time record held by Brayden McGinnis — and drove in three runs on the day
- Zac Fruend reached base five times on two hits and three walks, scoring three runs from the leadoff spot
- Jack Dunn went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in the seventh to break the game open
- Braden Hemmer went 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice
- Dylan Carlton and Eli Miller each added two-base hits for Columbia
- Pitching:
The Cougars and Eagles are back at it Saturday for games two and three of the series. First pitch is set for 11:00 AM at Shell Field in Walnut Ridge.
