Shortstop Marcus McCorkle provided the late-inning heroics for the eighth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett baseball team on Monday night as the Grizzlies pulled out the 5-4 walk-off victory against in-state rival Truett McConnell (Ga.) with an RBI-single up the middle by the Lawrenceville native.
Monday's win is GGC's sixth walk-off victory in 2017 where the Grizzlies are 5-0 in games that go into 10 or more innings.
"I'm so happy for our team on a great win tonight," said GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "We fought the whole day and Marcus and Deion [Sellers] came up big for us in the 11th inning. Truett McConnell played really well tonight and pitched up to the competition. I'm just happy that our team pulled out a great win against a quality opponent tonight."
Georgia Gwinnett (29-15) scored first in the contest, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening inning of play on erred throw by TMU starter Fraser Ellard on a pickoff attempt at second base.
Truett McConnell (22-19) responded with a three-run rally in the third to take a 3-1 advantage over GGC. First, catcher Casey Guilliams tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI-single to right. With the bases loaded, GGC starter Abram Cartledge hit back-to-back batters, allowing two Bears to score for the 3-1 lead.
The Bears pushed their lead to 4-1 in the seventh with a sacrifice squeeze bunt down the first base line by left fielder Davis Dasher.
Facing the 4-1 deficit, Georgia Gwinnett rallied for three runs over the next two innings to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings. In the seventh, center fielder Rodney Tennie lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right field, allowing third baseman Brandon Frazier to score from third. Previously, Frazier reached on a leadoff triple to the right-center gap. An inning later, catcher Ryan Lark launched a two-run home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 4-4. The shot was Lark's second home run of the 2017 season.
After a scoreless ninth and tenth innings, the Grizzlies put the go-ahead run on base as second baseman Deion Sellers singled to right. A balk by TMU reliever Nick Hammonds moved Sellers within 180 feet of the plate. On an 0-2 pitch to McCorkle, the right-hander ripped a single up the middle to center field, driving in Sellers for the 5-4 walk-off win for the Grizzlies.
Senior Michael Royal (2-0) picked up the win, providing a scoreless inning of relief in the 11th. TMU's Hammonds (1-1) received the loss, surrendering GGC's game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th. Of note, Grizzly reliever Stone Kelly completed three innings of one-hit ball without surrendering a run while tallying three of the GGC pitching staff's combined 10 strikeouts in the contest. Michael Mayuski also gave the Grizzlies 3.1 innings of relief, scattering four hits while striking out four Truett McConnell batters.
Georgia Gwinnett has a quick turnaround on Tuesday as the Grizzlies travel to West Point, Ga., to face Point (Ga.) in a nine-inning contest. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
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