In frigid cold temperatures and windy conditions on Tuesday afternoon, the No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett baseball team escaped with a 10-9 victory against Point (Ga.), using a walk-off sacrifice fly to deep right-center field by shortstop Angel Soto to capture the Grizzlies'19th win of the season.
"We need to continue to grow as a team on both sides of the ball," said GGC head Brad Stromdahl. "I'm thrilled we pulled out the win tonight against Point and look forward to facing off with Bryan tomorrow."
The Grizzlies (19-8) faced a 4-0 deficit after three innings of play as Point (15-9) scored two runs in both the second and third innings.
In the fourth, Georgia Gwinnett drew within one, 4-3, with a two-run triple by right fielder Brady Hamilton and a grounder to short by catcher Jean Paul Rodriguez.
Point pushed its lead to 5-3 in the fifth, but the Grizzlies responded with a two-run seventh to tie the game at 5-5. Designated hitter Jean Figueroa's two-run single to shallow center knotted the game with the Skyhawks.
In the eighth, Point regained a 9-5 lead, using an RBI-single by Taylor Harper, a two-run single by Bryce Jay, and a passed ball by GGC to score four runs for the advantage.
Facing a four-run deficit, the Grizzlies rallied to tie the game at 9-9, scoring four runs in the eighth as well. Center fielder Rodney Tennie made it 9-6 with a grounder to first, scoring first baseman Alex Garland while a three-run double down the left field line by Figueroa tied the game at 9-9.
Reliever Michael Mayuski pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, setting the Grizzlies up with the potential walk-off win in the bottom of the inning.
GGC loaded the bases in the ninth as Garland reached on a fielder's choice, left fielder Chris Jones was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Brady Shoppe was internationally walked. On the first pitch that Soto faced, the Orlando, Fla., native lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center field to drive in the winning run of the 10-9 walk-off victory.
Mayuski (2-0) picked up his second win of the season while Point's Keagan Spradlin suffered the loss.
Next, the Grizzlies welcome No. 14 Bryan (Tenn.) to Lawrenceville on Wednesday for a nine-inning contest at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. First pitch between GGC and Bryan will take place at 3:00 p.m.
The Grizzlies' contest against the Lions will be broadcasted live on the Grizzly Digital Network with pregame coverage beginning at 2:45 p.m.
Tickets for Wednesday's contest 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. Free game day parking is available in the deck at the entrance to the GGC campus. Georgia Gwinnett is a tobacco and pet free campus.
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