Behind the combined pitching performances of Nikolay Uherek, Will Solomon, and Davis Adkins, the No. 3 Georgia Gwinnett baseball team dethroned No. 1 Faulkner (Ala.) on Tuesday evening, defeating the Eagles 3-1 for the Grizzlies' 30th win of the season.
The Grizzlies (30-1) become the first team in the NAIA to reach 30 wins on the season and now boast the best record in the league.
"Tonight was a good win that prepares us for the type of competition we will face in conference and postseason play," stated GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "It was a good battle between two good teams. Nikolay [Uherek] pitches big when the lights are on, and it showed again tonight. We had a number of big battles at the plate, and our guys did a great job at putting the ball in play when it mattered most."
Georgia Gwinnett broke up the scoreless game in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally to take the 1-0 lead. Right fielder Trey Haygood doubled off the left field wall and then came around to score two pitches later when second baseman Jereid Woods lifted an RBI-single to shallow left.
Faulkner (26-5) battled back to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth. First baseman David Palenzuela ripped a double down the left field line that was bobbled by GGC left fielder Michael Hodorowski, allowing Palenzuela to advance to third. Five pitches later, the Eagles tied the game at 1-1 when catcher Mario Amaral sliced an RBI-single to shallow right.
GGC rebounded in the bottom of the sixth to regain the 3-1 lead. After first baseman Zac Rinehart was hit by a pitch, designated hitter Marcus McCorkle drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI-double. Moments later, catcher Brady Shoppe added an insurance run with an RBI-single to shallow left.
Uherek, the Grizzlies' starter, went seven innings, allowing just one run on six hits. En route to the win, the right-handed hurler struck out 12 of the 27 batters he faced. Uherek's 12 strikeouts set a new GGC record that was previously held by Sheldon Connor and Ryan Minteer (11). With tonight's win, Uherek is 6-0 on the season.
Solomon, who came on in relief in the eighth, collected the first two outs of the inning before Adkins came on to close out the game, capturing the final four outs for the save.
Faulkner's Phil Anderson, who was credited with the loss, went three and two-thirds innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out three.
Georgia Gwinnett returns to action on Friday as it hosts No. 11 Keiser (Fla.). First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is slated for 1:00 p.m. Game two of the four-game set will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Tickets for Friday's games are $5 for adults, $3 for youth, seniors, and military, and free for children under five. All members of the GGC community receive free admission with their Claw Card. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
Game Day Central
Live Video coverage, starting 15 minutes prior to First Pitch, provided by the Grizzly Digital Network (Saturday only):
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ggc/
Live stats links:
March 25 – Game 1: http://bit.ly/1PiFGjp
March 25 – Game 2: http://bit.ly/1puzgsk
March 26 – Game 1: http://bit.ly/1nXibpO
March 26 – Game 2: http://bit.ly/1pSOQOO
For all the latest on Grizzly Athletics, including news, scores and features, visit GrizzlyAthletics.com. Check out all the latest Grizzly Baseball content and join the conversation by using #GGCBaseball on Twitter.
