PETERSBURG, Va. – Defending CIAA champion Saint Augustine's College won two different ways at Virginia State in a CIAA baseball doubleheader Monday at Colbert Field. In the first game, senior Joe Pierce (Wetumpka, Ala.) hit five RBIs in an 8-1 victory. The second game wasn't decided until the ninth inning when Jeremy Wilkins (Smithfield, N.C.) smacked an RBI sacrifice fly for a 5-4 win.

Winners of five straight games, the Falcons (24-13 overall) maintained their conference lead with a 16-2 mark. They swept all four games in the regular-season series between the last two CIAA champions.

In the first game, Pierce cranked out a season-high five RBIs on 2-for-4 hitting. His RBI groundout was part of a two-run first inning, and his three-run double sparked a five-run second inning for a 7-0 lead.

Seniors Rashad Ingram (Savannah, Ga.) and Mike Wallace (Powhatan, Va.) both added two hits and junior Wayne Lewis (Charlotte, N.C.) drove in a run in the first game for the Falcons, who had eight hits. Alex Di Dio (Newport News, Va.) went seven full innings on the mound. He held the Trojans to one run on three hits and five strikeouts. 

In the second game, Wilkins scored Anthony Holloway (New Bern, N.C.) on a ninth-inning fly-out to centerfield which turned out to be the game-winner. The run occurred two innings after the Falcons tied the score 3-3 in the top of the seventh on Calvin Butcher's (New Castle, Del.) run off an error. 

Wilkins and Lewis each added two hits and one RBI while Pierce added an RBI triple for the Falcons, who were outhit 9 to 5 in the second game. Senior Brandon Stewart (Riverdale, Ga.) pitched the final three innings for the victory.

The Falcons host Claflin in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday at USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. The first game starts at 1 p.m.