AMERICUS, Ga. — The state of Georgia is known for its 159 counties, kudzu, tall pine trees, red clay soil and the Georgia Bulldogs college football team.

It is not known for imposing college baseball teams or for having any of those outfits setting records.

But the Georgia Southwestern State Hurricanes of this city, only miles from the peanut patches and home of former President Jimmy Carter in sedate Plains, set some records against the visiting Shepherd University baseball nine.

It wasn’t just the three-game sweep of the Rams that the win-starved Hurricanes enjoyed. It was the seven hit batsmen in one of the games. It was the rapid-fire way the GSW pitchers struck out the Shepherd batters. It was the way they scuttled the 1-6 record and .159 team batting average the Hurricanes were mired in before Shepherd arrived.

The Peach Belt Conference Georgians slammed the Rams, 20-1, in the opener of the three-game set. That was the game where some the seven Shepherd pitchers hit seven GSW batters and walked 12 more, and the Rams struck out 16 times. In the second game, the Rams had 17 strikeout victims, managed only three hits and lost, 4-2. All nine batters in the Shephard lineup struck out at least once.

And in the third game, GSW pitchers fanned 10, limited the Rams to six hits and posted a 4-3 win with four unearned runs.

Shepherd came back to Shepherdstown, with a .181 team batting average, a 2-4 overall record and 71 strikeouts in only six games.

The Hurricanes’ three starting pitchers were totally in charge. Jared Donalson struck out 10 in six innings in winning the opener. Nick McCollum had nine strikeouts in his six innings of the second game. And his reliever, Kyle Bachle, registered eight strikeouts in only three innings. In the one-run third game, Dalton Cameron fanned eight in his six innings, and two relievers got another two Rams on strikes.

In the three losses, the Rams batted .130 with a total of 12 hits in 27 innings of trying.

Were there any silver linings during the three-loss trip?

The weather was kind enough to play baseball. Ryan Haddaway (4-for-11) and Joey Schwartz (two homers and 4-for-9) did well enough. Starting pitchers Chris Chaney and Nick Trabacchi, as well as relievers Ryan Bywaters and Adam Miller, solved the different Hurricane lineups with their control.

Shepherd still has four games scheduled before the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference begins league play. The first of those non-conference games is slated for tomorrow at Fairfax Field when Lincoln (Pa.) travels to Shepherdstown for a 12-noon doubleheader.

GSW saw 11 of the 24 pitchers listed on Shepherd’s 43 player roster. And Shepherd saw seven of the Hurricane pitchers, none of which they did much against.