SAVANNAH, GA - The Salem International University baseball team opened a four-game series against Armstrong State University on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 18). The Pirates scored a total of 38 runs on the afternoon to sweep both games away from the Tigers, 20-4 and 18-2.

The Tigers will finish the four-game set with the Pirates tomorrow at Pirate Field beginning at 11 a.m. and continuing 30-minutes after the competition of the first game. SIU will stay on the road next weekend, heading to Atlanta, Georgia to face Clark Atlanta University and Fairmont State University.

Game one presented an early opportunity for the Tigers to establish some momentum and get onto the scoreboard first on Saturday. With one-out in the top of the first inning, seniors Matt Flores and Donato Gallano delivered singles to put a pair of runners on base. The frame would end, but not without some fireworks as SIU grounded into a bang-bang 1-6-3 double play and a close play at first base.

Armstrong State would score six-times in the bottom of the first inning, all with two-outs in the inning, to steal back all of the momentum from the Tigers. Sophomore Albert Cartenuto worked his way out of early trouble for the Tigers, allowing just one-run over the next five innings. Flores put the Tigers on the board in the top of the third inning with his double down the right field line that plated a pair of runs and trimmed the Pirates' lead to 6-2.

An error for the Tigers in the bottom of the third would cost them a run as a single through the left side against Cartenuto plated an unearned run to make it 7-2 Armstrong. Senior catcher Sean Deviney recorded his first triple of the season leading-off the top of the fourth inning for SIU. Deviney quickly became eliminated from the bases after trying to score from third on an errant throw by the Pirates to third base.

Double plays would be rally killers for the Tigers in game one as senior Trent Dalton tallied a one-out single in the top of the fifth inning, only to be erased by an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. Leading 7-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pirates faced three separate SIU pitchers en route to an 11-run inning. Trailing 20-2 in the top of the ninth inning, sophomore Ethan Turner reached base on a fielding error by the shortstop. The miscue allowed the Tigers to plate two runs and round-out the scoring.

Game two had a similar start for Armstrong, who batted through its lineup on two separate occasions. The big blow for SIU sophomore starter Jordan Wagner would be a three-run home run that gave the Pirates a 9-0 lead. SIU received a pair of RBI hits from Gallano and senior Joshua VanMeter in the second and fifth innings.

VanMeter eventually took over on the mound for the Tigers, allowing two earned runs and three hits over three innings of work. He also walked two batters and fanned one. The Pirates scored once in the fourth, five times in the fifth, and twice in the sixth en route to an 18-2 victory.

Cartenuto (0-1) took the loss in game one for SIU, allowing seven runs (three earned) on 11 hits through six innings of work. Meeks (2-0) earned the win for Armstrong, tossing seven strong innings and scattering two runs (one earned) in the process. Meeks also fanned eight batters in the game while issuing one walk.

Flores finished the opening-game 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and one run scored, while Dalton, VanMeter, Deviney, and Gallano each recorded a hit. Warren finished the game 3-for-6 with three RBIs in the lead-off spot for Armstrong. Patterson and Slaughter each tallied four RBIs for Armstrong, with Patterson recording three hits and Slaughter two hits.

Wagner (0-2) was handed with the loss for SIU in game two as he allowed nine runs on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in one inning of work. Freshman Steven Craddock and junior Zach Mullinax each tossed one inning of relief for the Tigers with Mullinax recording three strikeouts. Five different Tigers recorded one hit in the contest.