Catfish edge Augusta

Shawn O'Malley kept his hitting streak alive and drove in 2 runs as the Columbus Catfish broke a losing streak, beating the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) 5-3 tonight.

The Catfish broke out on top first, scoring twice in the 3rd inning. 1B Henry Wrigley singled, moved to second on a ground out, and scored when SS Omar Luna singled to center. With 2 outs, O'Malley singled home Luna, and the Catfish were up 2-0.

Augusta tied it in th bottom of the 3rd. But in the 5th, the Catfish took the lead for good. C Mike McCormick reached on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored when Wrigley singled.

In the 6th, 3B Greg Sexton drove in RF Maiko Loyola, who had singled, stolen second, and moved to third on an error.

Augusta closed it to 4-3 in the bottom of the 6th, but the Catfish extended the lead when Luna, who doubled and moved to third on a single by CF Emeel Salem, scored when O'Malley reached on a fielder's choice.

Starter Jason Ragan picked up his league-leading 5th win of the season. He joins teammate Alex Cobb in the 5-win club. Ragan went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs ... 2 earned ... and striking out 2. Reliever Travis Barnett didn't allow a hit in 2 innings work, and Kevin Boggan picked up a save by pitching the 9th, shutting down Augusta.

O'Malley's 2 RBIs lead the Catfish. The DH has hit safely in all 6 games he's appeared in since being called up. Luna led all batters with 3 hits, while Wrigley, Loyola, and Salem each had a pair.

Loyola had 2 stolen bases, bringing his total to 16, 3rd-best in the league, behind teammate and league leader Salem, who has 23, and Asheville's Everth Cabrera, who stole his 17th tonight against Charleston.

The win puts the Catfish in position to earn a split in the series with Augusta, if they can win the final game Saturday night. After taking Mother's Day off, the Catfish return to Columbus Monday to open an 8-game home stand.