RALEIGH, N.C. – Led by the pitching performance of Marquis Johnson, Saint Augustine's University gained its first baseball victory of the season with a 3-2 victory over West Liberty University in the first game of a doubleheader at Lions Park on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. The Falcons lost the second game 6-2.

FIRST GAME

Johnson neutralized the West Liberty bats in the first game, scattering five hits in seven complete innings. He recorded four strikeouts, one walk and no earned runs.

His teammates provided all the runs Johnson needed. Alexis Garcia (Jr./Maracaibo, Venezuela) drove in Tim Carter (Jr./Lumberton, NC) with a single and Darrell Langston (So./Chicago, IL) scored from third when Garcia was caught stealing second for a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning.

The Hilltoppers added a run in the sixth inning and threatened in the seventh inning with a runner on third base and one out. But Ricky Martin (Sr./Raleigh, NC) scooped up a grounder and threw the runner out at home, and Johnson struck out the final batter for the victory.

While Johnson kept West Liberty at bay, the Falcons pounded out 10 hits. Garcia was 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI and Mikal Batts (Jr./Kinston, NC) was 2-for-2. Carey Cheek (Sr./Baltimore, MD) was 2-for-3 with a double while William Thomas (Sr./Yorktown, VA) and Martin each smacked a double. Langston scored two runs including one run from third base in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1 when Garcia was picked off first base.

Tim Hughes was 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the second inning for the Hilltoppers. Yale Hughes was the losing pitcher after giving up eight hits and three runs in four and two-third innings.

SECOND GAME

The Falcons never led in the contest, falling behind 4-0 by the end of the third inning. They got within 4-2 in the fifth inning on Cameron Lopez's single which scored Garcia and an errant throw to third base by the West Liberty catcher which scored Batts. But the Hilltoppers (3-1 overall) stretched the lead back to four with two runs in the sixth inning.

The Falcons managed two hits in the loss, one each by Lopez and Cheek. The Hilltoppers, led by Tim Hughes, tallied seven hits. Hughes was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. His three-run homer in the third inning gave the Hilltoppers a 4-0 lead.

The Falcons (1-8 overall) will play again on Tuesday, Feb. 23, against Barton College in a single nine-inning game at Nixon Field in Wilson, N.C. The contest starts at 2 p.m.