Behind starting pitcher Trevor Bradley, who struck out eight batters over 7.0 innings, and a four-RBI effort from outfielder Brady Hamilton, the top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett baseball team advanced in the NAIA Opening Round winner's bracket on Wednesday with an 8-2 win over second-seeded IU Southeast (Ind.) at the Grizzly Baseball Complex in Lawrenceville.
Hamilton and Michael Hodorowski each had three hits for the Grizzlies (57-4), who erased an early hole and scored the final eight runs of the game to push themselves into Thursday's championship round.
Georgia Gwinnett will now face either IU Southeast once more, or third-seeded Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), with an opportunity to clinch a spot in the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
"We had some very timely two-out hits today against a really good Indiana Southeast team," GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl said. "Trevor Bradley pitched well again for us and we found a way to make plays when we needed to against a great opponent."
The Grenadiers (43-14) opened up a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run double from designated hitter Kyle Asher.
Hamilton tied the game for Georgia Gwinnett in the bottom of the second with a towering, two-run homer over the wall in left.
With the game still tied in the fifth, GGC's Josh Merrigan delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to push the Grizzlies in front, 3-2. GGC then took advantage of a failed pickoff attempt that extended the inning to add to its lead with a two-run single from Marcus McCorkle to make it 5-2.
The Grizzlies again capitalized after a Grenadiers error in the seventh, scoring three more times with two outs. William Paschal's RBI double scored Merrigan for a 6-2 lead, then Hamilton made it 8-2 with a two-run single to plate McCorkle and Paschal.
Bradley (6-0) kept IU Southeast from mounting a comeback, and reliever Michael Royal finished off the win with two scoreless frames.
Game 7 of the Lawrenceville Bracket, which will decide the Grizzlies' final opponent, will open play on Thursday between IU Southeast and Lindsey Wilson at 11 a.m. GGC will then meet the winner at 2:30 p.m. An if-necessary Game 8 would be played on Friday.
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