On Friday evening, the No. 6 Georgia Gwinnett baseball team was edged by Shawnee State (Ohio) 9-8 as the Grizzlies fell victim to the error bug, committing six in the contest.
"We're doing a really great job hitting the ball, and our pitching staff is also throwing really well," said GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "Our biggest concern in this on and off slump is base running and fielding. We just have to take better care of the ball."
Friday's contest was highlighted by junior outfielder Austin Alexander who tied the single-game hits record with former Grizzly Josh Merrigan as the left fielder went 5-for-5 at the plate, driving in fours, including a two-run home run in the ninth.
Shawnee State (8-23) held a brief 2-0 advantage after the first three innings of play, but the Grizzlies (25-12) battled back to take their lone lead of the contest in the bottom of the third. Alexander's second hit of the day was an RBI-single to center, driving in third baseman Angel Soto. On a 2-2 count, first baseman Brady Hamilton gave the Grizzlies the 3-2 lead with a two-run double off the left field wall.
The Bears went on the attack again in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of two Grizzly errors to score three runs to regain a 5-3 lead. SSU plated another run in the sixth with an RBI-single by shortstop Blake Marshall, increasing its gap to 6-3.
Georgia Gwinnett moved within one run, 6-5, with an RBI-double in the sixth by second baseman Deion Sellers and an RBI-single to shallow right by Alexander in the seventh.
Once again, Shawnee State rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth, capitalizing on two more GGC defensive errors, to push its gap to 9-5 heading into the final inning of play.
While the Grizzlies responded with three runs over the next two innings, including an RBI-single by Sellers and a two-run home run by Alexander, Georgia Gwinnett could not overcome SSU's early lead, falling to the Bears 9-8.
GGC's starting pitcher, Nikolay Uherek (3-4), received the loss in the contest, surrendering nine runs, four earned, on 10 hits while striking out 11 Bears. Shawnee State's Derek Moore (1-7) picked up his first victory of the 2017 season, allowing just four runs on 10 hits while striking out eight. SSU's Jesse James received the save, completing 1.1 innings of relief to close out the Bears' 9-8 victory over the sixth-ranked Grizzlies.
Georgia Gwinnett and Shawnee State will meet again on Saturday in doubleheader action to conclude the three-game set. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning at 12:45 p.m. on the Grizzly Digital Network.
Tickets for Saturday's action 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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