April 12, 2014

Box Score

The fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett baseball team reached the 40-win plateau for the first time by taking down LSU Alexandria on Saturday in Alexandria, La., 14-7, sweeping the three-game series from the Generals.

The Grizzlies earned their fifth win over LSUA in a nine-day span by building a 9-2 lead through five innings with three RBIs apiece from seniors Zach Alvord and Jake Fields.

The Grizzlies are now 40-6 and improved to 13-1 on the road this season while LSUA fell to 27-18.

Junior Adam Clark (1-0) earned the win in his first start, allowing two runs with four strikeouts and no walks over 5.0 innings.

Each team added five runs over the final four innings as seven different GGC pitchers appeared on the day.

Ty Abbott scored a game-high three runs for GGC with five different players driving in at least two runs.

The Generals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but GGC scored four times in the second and nine straight runs overall, opening a 9-1 advantage after batting in the fifth.

LSUA attempted to rally with four straight runs, but GGC’s five-run eighth distanced the Grizzlies once again.

Fields, Phillip Bates and William Paschal all had two hits. Alvord’s second home run of the season was one of four extra-base hits.

Austin Smith, Jonathan Spitler and Jovanni Cruz all made scoreless relief appearances on the mound for GGC.

The Grizzlies now visit a No. 3 Faulkner (Ala.) squad that handed GGC one of its six losses on March 19. The Grizzlies and Eagles will face off both Tuesday and Wednesday evening in Montgomery, Ala.

Just nine games remain on the regular season schedule as GGC gears up for the Association of Independent Institutions tournament May 2-5 in Lynn, Mass.