Southern States Athletic Conference

     MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Chase Burch homered twice and Chase Ponder added one of his own as 19th-ranked Auburn Montgomery exploded past No. 24 Southern Poly 11-4 in a second round winners' bracket game Thursday in the Southern States Athletic Conference baseball tournament.

     The Senators, 39-18, pounded out 16 hits, scoring 10 runs in the first four innings to take control. Burch and Ponder each had three hits, with Burch driving in four runs and Ponder three. Cody Shields, Stephen Partrick and Davis Lambert added two hits apiece for Auburn Montgomery, which will play the Lee-Faulkner winner at 7 p.m. Friday night.The Hornets, 38-14, face Southern Wesleyan in an elimination game Friday afternoon at 4.

     Chase Oliver had three hits and two RBIs for Southern Poly, which also got three hits from Rick McCrae.

     Auburn Montgomery's Stephen Yates pitched six strong innings to earn the victory, scattering nine hits and allowing two earned runs. Brock Piper pitched three innings of two-hit relief, allowing only one run. Southern Poly's Tom Bradley took the loss, allowing seven runs in just over an inning of work.