April 19, 2014

GGC 5, Emory 2

Four players had a two-hit game for GGC as the Georgia Gwinnett baseball team downed NCAA Division III Emory by a 5-2 score in Atlanta Saturday afternoon.

The Grizzlies (41-8) belted 12 hits on the soggy day and were led by Jake Fields’ two RBIs.

Phillip Bates and Zach Alvord each scored twice and had two hits.

Starter Tyler Carpenter (6-1) earned the win during the staff outing by tossing the first two frames in scoreless fashion with a strikeout. The senior was the first of six different GGC pitchers in the game, which was capped by Zeke McGranahan’s fifth save of the year with two strikeouts in the ninth.

The Grizzlies built a 4-0 lead on the Eagles (25-10) by the second inning.

Bates knocked a leadoff triple in the first inning and scored on a Fields groundout. John Fidanza later walked and scored on a fielding error to make it 2-0.

Alvord singled and scored on an RBI from Bates in the second, then Fields drove in Bates with an RBI single of his own to give GGC a 4-0 lead.

Two Emory runs on three hits in the third cut the Grizzly advantage to 4-2, but Robbie Payne’s RBI single in the fourth scored Alvord for the eventual 5-2 winning margin.

Neither team scored over the final five innings as Adam Clark, Ryan Turner and Austin Smith all chipped in scoreless relief efforts on the mound for GGC.

The win snapped the only two-game losing streak of the year for GGC, which came up short at No. 3 Faulkner Tuesday and Wednesday.

Emory was receiving votes in the latest Div. III top 25 poll.

The Grizzlies return to action Tuesday afternoon by visiting Tennessee Wesleyan, then come home for Senior Night on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against North Georgia.