Game 1

Game 2

PETERSBURG, Va. - Saint Augustine's College couldn't duplicate its tournament success of previous years, as the Falcons were defeated by Winston-Salem State University 5-1 and Virginia State University 8-2 on Thursday, April 19, 2012 on opening day of the CIAA Baseball Tournament at Colbert Field on the campus of Virginia State.

The losses end the Falcons' season after entering the tournament on a five-game win streak. The Falcons, seeded fourth, started slowly and never led in either game. The Falcons were down 5-0 to Winston-Salem State in their first game before scoring their only run in the ninth inning on Ariel Polanco's (Sr./Harlem, N.Y.) home run. They trailed 5-0 to Virginia State before getting on the scoreboard in the fourth inning on Polanco's outfield RBI. The Falcons wouldn't score again until the eighth inning on an RBI single by Daveed Todd (Jr./Chicago, Ill.). By then, the score was 8-2 in favor of the Trojans.

This was the first time in five years that the Falcons failed to make the final round. In the previous four years, the Falcons reached the championship game and won it all in 2010. They were the regular-season conference champs in 2009 and 2010. This year was a rebuilding season for the Falcons, however, as they lost much of the team which went on those deep tournament runs. Last season, the Falcons were ranked eighth in the Atlantic Region.

The Falcons (19-31 overall) do return several promising players next season such as Polanco, who drove in two of the Falcons' three runs. Todd, a powerful hitter, had the other RBI for the Falcons. With much of the squad back next season, it is a sure bet that the Falcons will return to their winning ways next season. They will miss seniors Wayne Lewis (Charlotte, N.C.), Alex Howard (Wilson, N.C.), Anthony Holloway (New Bern, N.C.) and Alex Di Dio (Newport News, Va.), who played their last collegiate games on Thursday.