Feb. 15, 2013
The Georgia Gwinnett baseball team belted 19 hits over two games on Friday, led by four hits from junior Angelo Lombardo, in splitting a pair of tight, back-and-forth games with NAIA foe Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn.
The Grizzlies (4-1) posted four runs in the seventh inning of game one to take a late lead, but fell in a walk-off, 8-7. In the second game, an early 4-0 GGC lead held up down the stretch in an 8-6 victory.
Both games lasted seven innings as scheduled.
Kyle Norton drove in a team-high four runs on the day for GGC while Antonio Allen belted his first home run of the season and drew six total walks.
Grizzlies sophomore Drew Riley (2-0) earned his second win of the year by holding the potent Lions roster to two runs over five innings.
Bryan (6-2) was picked to finish second this season in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, slotted only behind defending NAIA national champion Tennessee Wesleyan and receiving votes nationally.
“I was really happy with our team’s performance today against a very strong team,” said GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. “We held a lead late in both games and some unfortunate circumstances kept us from getting a win in the first game. We’re learning how to compete and how to win and right now we’re establishing the identity of our program.”
Game One- Bryan 8, GGC 7
In a tight game, the Lions surged in front with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 6-3 lead.
The Grizzlies would roar back with a four-run seventh, thanks to hits from Philip Bates, Sloan Strickland and Lombardo.
GGC took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the inning, but a pair of bases-loaded walks allowed the Lions to edge back in front a final time for the 8-7 win.
The defeat spoiled a strong start by junior pitcher Tyler Carpenter, who struck out six over 5.1 innings as GGC suffered its first victory of the season.
Game Two- GGC 8, Bryan 6
The Grizzlies came out swinging in game two, tallying two runs in both the second and third innings. The score became 4-0 after Christian Van Camp’s sacrifice fly scored Robbie Payne.
Riley struck out three over five innings and yielded just a two-spot in the third.
Georgia Gwinnett added to its lead with a two-run single from Norton in the fifth and another pair of runs in the sixth for an 8-2 advantage.
The Lions attempted a comeback against the Grizzly bullpen with four late runs, but reliever Austin Smith induced a flyout with the tying run on base for the game’s final out.
“Drew pitched extremely well and Tyler Carpenter pitched very well in game one,” Stromdahl said of his hurlers.
Junior left-hander Bradley West (1-0) gets the ball Saturday for the Grizzlies, looking to give GGC the series victory at 1 p.m. in a nine-inning contest.
