March 9, 2013
Photo Gallery
GGC 6, Rochester 2
GGC 13, Rochester 3
Freshman Sheldon Connor tossed a complete game in the opener and junior Pat Long drove in five total runs on the day as the Georgia Gwinnett baseball team opened the brand new Grizzly Baseball Complex with 6-2 and 13-3 victories over Rochester College (Mich.) on Saturday in Lawrenceville.
Nearly 800 fans packed the Grizzlies' new stadium to witness the action for the first time on campus.
In game one, Connor allowed just one earned run over seven innings to pick up his third win of the season.
In the second game, the GGC offense came alive with 16 hits, scoring six first-inning runs as the Grizzlies cruised to a run-rule victory.
"This was a special day for our program and our school," said Grizzlies head coach Brad Stromdahl. "We put together two team victories today and I am really happy for our players to do it all in front of our home fans for the first time. This is the start of something very special."
Georgia Gwinnett improved to 11-6 on the season while Rochester fell to 4-11.
Game One- GGC 6, Rochester 2
Christian Van Camp and Antonio Allen each had two hits to lead the Grizzlies in game one, while Long had 3 RBIs.
Van Camp led off the second inning with a double, then scored the first run in the new park on Robbie Payne's RBI groundout.
The Grizzlies scored twice in the third to extend their lead to 3-0. After the Warriors tallied a run in the top of the fifth, GGC responded with three more scores.
The offense was more than enough support for Connor (3-0), who walked just one batter and scattered seven RC hits in going the distance in the seven-inning game.
Jereid Woods walked twice and added two scores for GGC in the opener.
Game Two- GGC 13, Rochester 3
It was all GGC early and often in game two, as the Grizzlies tallied six scores in the opening frame. Long, Payne, Sloan Strickland and A.J. Davis all had RBI hits in the first inning.
The Warriors pushed across three runs in the second, but GGC regained its cushion with two in the third and one in the fourth.
Sophomore Angleo Lombardo (1-0) pitched 4.1 effective innings of relief for the Grizzlies, allowing just one hit and keeping the Warriors from drawing any closer.
The Grizzlies took their 9-3 lead into the sixth inning and added four more scores to elicit the run rule. Eli Green knocked a two-run single, and Davis and Prater added RBI hits as the Grizzlies sealed the win.
Payne finished the second game 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Davis drove in three while Strickland and Green each scored twice in game two.
GGC President Dr. Daniel J. Kaufman opened the new facility by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and addressing the crowd. The privately-funded ballpark is part of GGC's $13.5 million Varsity Athletics Complex.
The Grizzlies return to action Monday at Southern Poly with a 1 p.m. doubleheader before playing on their home field again Tuesday against Point University at 6 p.m.
Seventeen of GGC's next 21 games are at home after the team opened the season with a 15-game road trip.
