The No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett baseball team picked up its second victory in-a-row on Wednesday, defeating NCAA Division II foe Albany State (Ga.) 17-1.

During the contest, the Grizzlies (3-3) broke GGC's single-game home runs record, launching four home runs over the left-field fence against Albany State.

"Today was an all-around great victory for the guys," stated GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl.  "We came into the game with a sense of focus, played as a group, and took advantage of the runners we had on base.  As a group, we hit well, played sound defense, and displayed a lot of power against two top-notch pitchers.  We gave some of our younger guys the opportunity to play multiple innings and to get several at-bats under their belt.  I'm proud of the team's progress as we move forward with the learning process in the early weeks of the season."

Albany State (0-3) struck first in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead with a single by Chasen Roulhac.  The field's wet conditions caused GGC center fielder Rodney Tennie to slip when collecting the ball, allowing Robbie Feagans to score.

GGC responded with a five-run inning in the top of the third to take the 5-1 lead.  Fueled by a two-out single by catcher Jean Paul Rodriguez, the Grizzlies took advantage of a defensive error to continue the inning.  Tennie pushed Rodriguez to third with a double down the right field line, moving the Grizzlies within 90 feet of tying the game.  On ASU's next pitch, shortstop Deion Sellers pushed a bunt towards the Golden Rams' pitcher.  Rodriguez outran the relay home to tie the game at 1-1 while Tennie scored when the ASU catcher missed the throw to the plate, giving GGC the 2-1 lead.  With runners on first and second, right fielder Jean Figueroa made it 5-1 in the Grizzlies' favor, launching a three-run home run over the left field fence.

In the top of the fourth, designated hitter Alex Garland catapulted GGC's second home run of the game, lifting a two-run shot to left to increase the Grizzlies' lead to 7-1.

An eight-run fifth inning pushed the Grizzlies ahead 15-1 behind four hits, including the third and fourth home runs of the game.  Figueroa, who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs in the contest, drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI-double while first baseman Kyler Timmerman joined the hitting frenzy with a three-run shot to left of his own.  Of note, Albany, Ga., native Josh Black drove in two of GGC's eight runs in the fifth with a two-out, two-RBI single to center.  Sellers finished off the Grizzlies' eight-run inning with a two-run blast over the left field fence.

The Grizzly offense would plate two final runs in the top of the sixth to move GGC's gap to 17-1. Ryan Lark was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded while Black finished his 2-for-2 evening with an RBI-single to shallow right.

Freshman Chase Boone (1-0) picked up the win for GGC in his collegiate debut.  The Loganville native struck out six batters in five innings of work, surrendering an unearned run on two hits.  Albany State's starter CJ Tatum received the loss, allowing five runs on five hits in three innings of work.  GGC also saw successful relief appearances by Gianni Sille and Taylor Folsom.  Both hurlers pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the Grizzlies' 17-1 victory.

Georgia Gwinnett now returns to the Grizzly Baseball Complex on Friday to begin an 11-game home stand that runs through Feb. 28.  First up for the Grizzlies is a four-game series with Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) on Feb. 10 and  11.  First pitch of Friday's doubleheader against the Lynx is set for 2:00 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m. on the Grizzly Digital Network.

Match Up: Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) vs. No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett
Game 1:  Friday, Feb. 10 – 2:00 p.m.
Game 2:  Friday, Feb. 10 – 5:00 p.m.
Game 3:  Saturday, Feb. 11 – 12:00 p.m.
Game 4:  Saturday, Feb. 11 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Grizzly Baseball Complex, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Game Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter
Media Information:  2017 GGC Baseball Media Guide

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