Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE - After seeing the Grizzly offense rack up 12 hits in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with visiting Roosevelt, pitcher Tyler Oglesby found himself in a pitching duel in the second game as Georgia Gwinnett picked up a pair of tight victories at Grizzly Baseball Complex.

"I had a chance to start, so I went out there and just tried to the best that I could," Oglesby said. "My fastball was definitely working the best today, and it felt really good out there. I didn't try to think too much about the situation. I just tried to make the pitch and let the defense make the play. They did a really good job today and gave us the chance to win."

Oglesby, a junior out of Savannah, enjoyed the best outing of his season so far, picking up a victory after tossing five two-hit innings and giving up one unearned run.

His counterpart from Roosevelt, John Swisher, was equally effective until a pair of miscues allowed the Grizzlies to score three runs with two outs in the bottom half of the fifth. William Paschal started it, reaching on an error to lead off the inning, and after a pair of quick outs moved him to third, Arsenio Watlington singled him home. Watlington, a senior out of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, stole two bases to get on third as well, ultimately scoring on a Ty Abbott single, and then another error brought home the third to pad the GGC advantage.

Watlington finished the game 2-for-3 with a score, and as a team, the Green and Gray out-hit the visitors from Chicago 5-4.

The two sides swapped scores in the sixth to make it 5-4, and reliever Andy Threatt picked up the last six outs, striking out five to earn his first save of the season.

A five-run fifth inning proved the difference in the day's opening game as the Grizzlies came from behind to grab the 9-7 decision.

Paschal led the offensive surge, ending 3-for-3 with three runs batted in and a pair of scores, and Ty Abbott enjoyed his third three-hit game of the weekend, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBI as well and a pair of runs. Watlington was 1-for-2 with a walk and three scores to go along with a pair of stolen bases.

"This was a tough week for us, but I like how we fought through it and made the plays when we needed to," Watlington said of the team's run of five games in four days. "Today, I just tried to do what I needed to do to help the team. I was able to put the ball in play, and then the guys got the hits behind me to bring me home."

The Lakers got to GGC starter Jeremy Holcomb for four runs in the first, but the Grizzly offense picked up the slack in the bottom half of the frame as Watlington led off with a single and scored on an Abbott triple, and an error and a Paschal single scored two more to make it 4-3 after one.

A sacrifice fly in the third restored a two-run edge for Roosevelt, but Watlington and Abbott would link up again to keep the deficit at one after three.

It was a two-out, two-run homer by Alvin Perez that chased Holcomb from the mound in the fifth, but the trio of Josh Mullis, Jovanni Cruz and Davis Adkins picked it up in his stead, holding the Lakers scoreless over the last 4.1 innings.

Abbott brought Watlington home with another single in the bottom of the frame to put GGC on the comeback trail, and a Timmerman double put the Grizzlies within one once more as Laker starting pitcher Marcus Radz left the game. Ernesto Vazquez and Paschal welcomed his replacement, Jared Jayne, with doubles to hand the Green and Gray the lead, and a Hodorowski single made it 9-7.

GGC, which has canceled its midweek trip to Blue Mountain due to expected inclement weather, will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Rochester.

NOTES: GGC is 68-19 all-time in home games ... The Grizzlies have a 37-12 all-time record in the month of March ... GGC is one of four teams in NAIA this season with 20 wins ... Ty Abbott finished the week hitting .545 over six games, picking up a pair of triples and a home run to help the Grizzlies to a 5-1 record ... Arsenio Watlington was a perfect 8-for-8 stealing bases, scoring eight times. The senior leads the nation in stolen bases with 29 in just 24 games.

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