Feb. 24, 2013
The Georgia Gwinnett baseball team captured another series victory Sunday by earning a split against Reinhardt University over two games in Waleska, Ga.
The Grizzlies took the first game by a 4-0 score before falling in game two, 4-3. The team is now 8-2 on the season after having taken Thursday’s opener by one run.
Junior left-hander Bradley West pitched GGC to the win in Sunday’s first game, allowing just one hit over six innings with six strikeouts.
In game two, the Grizzlies built a 3-1 lead but the Eagles rallied to end GGC’s five-game winning streak on a last at-bat score.
“At the end of the day, we won the series against a very tough team,” said Grizzlies head coach Brad Stromdahl. “We also had chances in the final game but we have to tip a hat to Reinhardt as they made several fine defensive plays. This was a great team weekend for us, though.”
Each game Sunday lasted seven innings.
Game One- GGC 4, Reinhardt 0
With West (3-0) holding the Eagles off the board, the Grizzlies broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning and pushed runs across in each of the final three innings.
Pat Long, Sloan Strickland and A.J. Davis each drove in runs while Christian Van Camp had two of the game’s five hits in the pitchers’ duel.
Antonio Allen added a hit and scored for the Grizzlies.
Austin Smith took the mound in the final inning and closed down his second straight game against the Eagles with a scoreless seventh.
West now has a team-high 20 strikeouts over 16.2 innings this year.
Game Two- Reinhardt 4, GGC 3
The Grizzlies were held to just four hits but built a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. Two scores from the Eagles in the bottom of the inning tied it and set up Jerome Jones’ walk-off RBI hit.
Georgia Gwinnett starter Sheldon Connor struck out two and gave up just one run in four innings on the mound. Frank Warren also tossed a scoreless frame for GGC.
Billy Best led the Grizzlies at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort and a run scored. Phillip Bates and Van Camp also scored as GGC took its two-run lead.
“We pitched tremendously today,” Stromdahl added. “We have really competed out there and put ourselves in position to win ballgames.”
The Grizzlies return to action Tuesday with a pair of games at Southern Poly, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
