By BRYAN GRISHAM

CSCC Sports Information Director

   CLEVELAND, GA. - The lucky number was 14 on Tuesday afternoon as the Cleveland State Cougars baseball team traveled south for a pair of games with the Bears of Truett-McConnell. The 20th ranked (latest NJCAA poll) Cougars pounded Bear pitching for 14 hits in each game as they swept both games in impressive fashion, 7-0 in game one and 9-1 in game two as the Cleveland State team improved its record to 26-9 for the season.

   Cody Ferrell (6-2) was almost unhittable in game one as he went the distance to pick up the win, tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing only two hits.

   Cody Hooper doubled in a run in the first inning and Justin Ridenour hit a solo homer in the second as the Cougar hitting machine cranked up early for a 2-0 lead.

   A sacrifice fly in the fourth and a single in the fifth from Jay Huffman pushed a run across each time while Hooper added to his RBI total with a two-run dinger as the Cougar lead ballooned to 6-0.

   Troy Zawadzki put the finishing touches on the win with a sacrifice fly for a run in the seventh to complete the shutout. Hooper went 3-4 to lead the way for the Cougars while Cory Hilton, Adam Hindman, Ridenour and Matt Brewer all had two hits each. Cameron Blinn took the loss for the Bears.

   The hits just kept right on coming in game two as the Cougars scored early and often. The Bears took a short lived lead with a run in the bottom of the first as Teddy Leverett reached on an error and scored on a groundout from Ryan Gale for the home team's only run of the day and a 1-0 lead.

   The Cougars quickly took the lead in the top of the second with a three-run outburst as Chris Anselmo doubled in a run, Huffman tripled in another and Drew Fox then followed with an RBI single of his own to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

   Dave Clark drove in a run in the fourth while Ferrell and Hooper contributed back to back RBI doubles in the fourth to push the lead to 6-1. The Cougars then tacked on three more runs in the sixth to put the exclamation point on a pair of non-conference wins.

   Stephen Pryor gave up only two hits to get the win for the Cougars in game two while Drew Housewright, Phil Mariani and Chad Fromm all pitched a scoreless inning each. Lance Rorex, Zawadzki, Hooper, Drew Banks and Fox all had two hits in game two for the Cougars.

   Cleveland State will now get ready for a weekend conference series with Motlow State.