Matchup: Montreat (N.C.) vs. No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett
Game 1: GGC 9 – Montreat 8 (10 inn.)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 25 – 1:00 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, Feb. 25 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Grizzly Baseball Complex, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Media Information: 2017 GGC Baseball Media Guide
The fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett baseball team overcame a five-run deficit to defeat Montreat (N.C.) 9-8 in 10 innings of play on Friday, improving to 11-4 on the year.
Georgia Gwinnett has now won back-to-back contests after beating No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday 8-5.
"Today was a wild finish, but we hung in there and believed," said GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "Our guys battled to the end, and we stood tall when it mattered most. Tomorrow is going to be another great day of baseball."
The Grizzlies (11-4) struck first in the bottom of the second when center fielder Chris Jones plated the first run of the game with an RBI-double. Previously, right fielder Austin Alexander led the inning off with a triple prior to scoring.
Montreat (7-3) tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth and then extended its lead to 4-1 in the fifth, capitalizing on two GGC throwing errors and an RBI-single by designated hitter Tray Hill.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Grizzlies made it 4-2 with a passed ball by Montreat, but, once again, the Cavaliers responded with three more runs in the sixth to increase their gap to 7-2.
Facing a five-run deficit, Georgia Gwinnett slowly chipped away at Montreat's lead. First, Alexander drove in first baseman Brady Hamilton with an RBI-single to right, making it 7-3. In the seventh, GGC plated three more runs to close the gap to within one, 7-6. Third baseman Deion Sellers drove in the Grizzlies fourth run of the day with an RBI-single to center while second baseman Marcus McCorkle made it 7-6 with a two-run double to the left-center gap.
Both the Cavaliers and Grizzlies traded runs in the eighth to make it 8-7 heading into the ninth.
Down to their final three outs of the contest, Georgia Gwinnett rallied behind a two-out walk by Jones. Jones placed immediate pressure on the Cavaliers' reliever Bryson Clark stealing second base. He then attempted to steal third and Montreat's catcher sailed the throw over third base and into left field, allowing Jones to tie the game at 8-8 to force extra innings.
After GGC's reliever Stone Kelly executed a perfect 1-2-3 inning on the mound, the Grizzlies loaded the bases on three consecutive walks to bring the winning run within 90 feet of the plate. Facing a 3-0 count, Hamilton took the next pitch by David West, walking in the ninth GGC run of the game for the 9-8 walk-off walk victory.
Kelly received the win, striking out three Cavaliers in 2.2 innings of work, while Clark was credited with the loss.
Georgia Gwinnett and Montreat are back at it on Saturday as the two squads square off in doubleheader action starting at 1:00 p.m.
Pregame coverage on the Grizzly Digital Network will begin at 12:45 p.m. with first pitch taking place at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets for Saturday's game 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. Season ticket packages are also on sale for all regular season contests. For more information on ticketing, click here. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus.
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