The top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett baseball team outlasted Cumberland (Tenn.) on Monday night as the Grizzlies held on for the 6-5 victory over the Phoenix at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.
"Our guys showed heart tonight, sticking in there and not buckling under pressure," stated GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "Tyler [Souris] and Will [Solomon] came up clutch for us on the mound and allowed us to stay ahead in critical moments of the game. We have three more games this week, but are looking forward to the conference tournament and will use the rest of this week's games to prepare us for it."
Cumberland (30-25) scored first in the opening inning of play to take its first and only lead of the night. An RBI-single to center by shortstop Nick McGrew on a hit-and-run gave the Phoenix the 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Grizzlies responded with an RBI-triple by first baseman Zac Rinehart to tie the game at 1-1.
Georgia Gwinnett (48-4) had a solid offensive showing in the second inning as the Grizzlies sent eight batters to the plate to score four runs. Second baseman Jereid Woods and center fielder Josh Merrigan connected on back-to-back two-run doubles to give the Grizzlies the 5-1 advantage.
For the night, Woods went 2-for-3 at the plate, driving in two runs while scoring twice. Merrigan had a three-hit night for GGC, collecting three RBIs and a stolen base.
The Phoenix battled back in the top of the fourth to cut the GGC lead to 5-4. An RBI-double by third baseman Josh Croft and RBI-single by left fielder Jarrett Plunkett narrowed the Grizzly advantage to 5-3 while a sacrifice fly to deep left by center fielder Gabe Lares brought Cumberland within one.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Grizzlies responded with an RBI-single by Merrigan to push their lead to two, 6-4, but once again Cumberland narrowed the lead to 6-5 when a GGC fielding error scored McGrew from second.
GGC's bullpen was the decisive factor of the contest as the Grizzly relievers finished the final four and one-third innings of the contest, surrendering just a single hit while setting down the final 12 batters of the contest.
Souris (1-0, four saves) picked up his first victory of the season on the mound for the Grizzlies, pitching three and one-third innings of work. The Bradenton, Fla., native conceded just one hit while striking out one of the 11 batters he faced. GGC's Solomon collected his second save of the season, shutting down the Phoenix in the ninth. Solomon faced the minimum, forcing a double play ground ball while striking out the final batter of the game.
Cumberland's Mitch Langer was credited with the loss as the right-hander gave up six runs on eight hits while striking out four Grizzlies in four innings of work.
With Monday's win, GGC leads the all-time series with Cumberland, 5-1.
The Grizzlies return to action on Friday afternoon when they host Talladega (Ala.) in the opening game of their three-game series against the Tornadoes. First pitch from the Grizzly Baseball Complex is set for 2:00 p.m.
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