Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PETERSBURG, Va. – The Saint Augustine's University baseball season came to a close on Wednesday, April 18, 2013, after the Falcons lost 12-5 to Virginia State University and 12-9 to Chowan University on the first day of the CIAA Baseball Tournament at Virginia State.

The Falcons concluded their season at 26-22 overall. They entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the conference.
St. Aug fell behind both games only to rally in the later innings. Both third-seed Virginia State and fourth-seed Chowan managed to hold off the Falcons to advance to the second day of the tournament.

In the first round, the Falcons trailed 3-0 in the first inning to Virginia State but scored their first run in the same inning when CIAA player of the year Ariel Polanco (Sr./Harlem, N.Y.) hit an RBI single to score CIAA rookie of the year Jason Baytop (Fr./Manchester, Md.). The Falcons tied the game in the sixth inning when William Thomas (Fr./Yorktown, Va.) grounded out to score Polanco for an RBI and Daveed Todd (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) scored on the same play.

The Trojans (22-17 overall) answered with nine runs in the seventh inning for a 12-3 lead. They scored three runs on bases-loaded walks and one run on a wild pitch. The Falcons managed two runs in the eighth on a two-run single by single by Carey Cheek (Fr./Baltimore, Md.) which scored Polanco and Todd but they would get no closer.

Polanco batted 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Falcons in batting. Todd was 2-for-4 and Jamie Scott (Jr./Hampton, Va.) added two hits including a double. Cheek drove in two runs in his only at-bat. The Falcons lost despite outhitting the Trojans 11-9 but committed more errors (2-1).

The loss sent the Falcons to the elimination bracket where they faced Chowan. The Hawks led 1-0 in the second inning but the Falcons tied the score in the same inning on an RBI sacrifice fly by Jeremy Wilkins (Sr./Smithfield, N.C.) which scored Clarence Peace (Jr./Creedmoor, N.C.).

The Hawks (20-26 overall) re-gained the lead at 2-1 in the third inning but the Falcons tied the game again in the same inning. Calvin Butcher (Jr./New Castle, Del.) scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by Scott.

The Hawks scored two runs in the fourth inning for a 4-2 lead. In the same inning, Baytop scored for the Falcons when Cheek reached base on an error to cut the deficit to 4-3.

In the fifth inning, the Hawks scored five runs to open a 9-3 lead but the Falcons came back. The Falcons chopped the Hawks' lead to 9-6 in the fifth on Polanco's RBI double which scored Butcher, Todd's RBI single which scored Scott and Baytop's RBI triple which scored Todd. In the sixth inning, Bobby Delly (Fr./Lancaster, S.C.) scored on a passed ball and Polanco hit an RBI single to score Butcher to pull the Falcons within one at 9-8.

The Hawks scored a run in the seventh but the Falcons closed within one again at 10-9 when Butcher hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score Cheek in the same inning. The Hawks scored two runs in the eighth for a three-run lead. After a 30-minute delay because of too much sunlight in the players' eyes, play resumed in the ninth inning. Pat Hall (Sr./Virginia Beach, Va.) doubled and reached third base on a groundout by Chris Rogers (Sr./Chicago, Ill), but the Hawks got the final out for the win.

Five players were 2-for-4 at the plate for the Falcons. They were Butcher, Scott, Polanco, Baytop and Cheek. Peace also had two hits for the Falcons. The foursome of Butcher, Polanco, Baytop and Hall each had a double and Baytop tripled. The Falcons outhit Chowan 14-13 but committed more errors (4-1) which hurt them against the Hawks.
Despite the losses, the Falcons completed another successful season under fourth-year Head Coach Charles Whitaker. They reached more than 20 wins for the third season and qualified for the CIAA Tournament for the fourth straight year under Whitaker.