Columbus Outduels Gainesville with Record-Setting Offense

Columbus, GA – The Columbus Chatt-a-Hoots (3-3) set team records on and off the field Friday night at Golden Park, scoring 15 runs on 19 hits to win 15-8 over the Gainesville Braves (0-6), who remain winless on the year.

With the win, Columbus moves to .500 on the year.  Their 15 runs and 19 hits in the game are a team record for the organization playing in its inaugural season in existence.  A Sunbelt record 2309 fans were in attendance to watch the offensive explosion, breaking the previous record of 1904 also set by the Chatt-a-Hoots during their inaugural home game on Saturday, June 12 earlier this year.

Jesse Donahoe went a perfect 5-for-5 with six RBIs to lead the Chatt-a-Hoots at the plate, and Carson Paetow went 3-for-4 with one walk and one RBI to lead the Braves.  Zac Rice and Henry Daniels also chipped in for the Chatt-a-Hoots with two hits and a home run each; Rice in the first inning and Daniels, a three-run bomb in the fifth.

Both teams went back and forth through the first five innings.  With the score tied 3-3 through one inning, Paetow gave the Braves a 4-3 lead on a ground-rule double in the second.  The Chatt-a-Hoots responded with two runs on base hits by Donohoe and Mack Williams to take a 5-4 lead in the third, but the Braves responded with two runs in the fourth on an error and Joe Sutton’s base hit to take a 6-5 lead. 

The Braves increased their lead to 8-5 in the fifth on another error and a double by Hudson Sapp, but could not hold on as the Chatt-a-Hoots mounted their comeback in the home half of the inning.  With two on and no outs, Daniels launched his second home run of the season over the right field wall to tie the game.  Donohoe then doubled to right field and scored on an RBI single by Charles Crawford to put the Chatt-a-Hoots up 9-8.  The Hoots would  add one more run in the sixth and five runs on four hits in the eighth to pull away for good.

The Chatt-a-Hoots out-hit the Braves 19-9.  Slade James (2-0) earned the win in relief, and Peyton Irvin (0-1) took the loss.