March 25, 2014
Box Score
The Georgia Gwinnett baseball team made its debut in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll on Tuesday, entering the rankings at No. 6. The Grizzlies earned their first-ever ranking in program history with 459 total points.
It was the first poll released since the preseason poll Nov. 12 and the Grizzlies are the highest-ranked team that did not appear in the preseason poll. Earlier in the week, GGC earned the top spot in the independent national group rankings.
The Grizzlies went on to defeat Truett-McConnell on the road in Cleveland, Ga., on Tuesday afternoon by a 10-0 score to earn their 30th win of the season, the most in the NAIA.
GGC (30-4) used an eight-run sixth inning to drop the Bears to 7-24.
Grizzlies starter Jonathan Spitler (3-0) struck out five batters over 5.0 innings as he and five GGC pitchers combined for the team’s fifth shutout of the year. The Bears managed only four hits on the day.
The Grizzlies matched last season’s win total with the victory.
Sloan Strickland drove in a game-high three runs while Robbie Payne had two RBIs. Seven different Grizzlies had one hit apiece.
Strickland’s bases-clearing double drove in three of the Grizzlies’ eight scores in the fifth as GGC stretched an early 2-0 lead into the final 10-0 score. Payne had a two-run single in the inning and Phillip Bates, William Paschal and Garitt Church each drove in one run apiece.
The Grizzlies remained unbeaten on the road this year with Tuesday’s win, and will look to keep it going on Wednesday when they visit North Georgia at 7 p.m.
