The eighth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett baseball team dropped its second game in-a-row on Friday afternoon as the Grizzlies were edged by Cumberland (Tenn.) 9-8 in the opening contest of the weekend's three-game series.
The Grizzlies (27-14) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second with back-to-back walks with the bases loaded. First baseman Kyler Timmerman walked to lead off the inning. Left fielder Kade Carrigan puts runners on second and third, lifting a double down the left field line. Seven pitches later, designated hitter Brady Shoppe loaded the bases after being walked by CU's starting pitcher Curtis Hoppe. Back-to-back walks plated both Timmerman and Carrigan for the 2-0 lead.
Cumberland (18-23) responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning, cutting GGC's lead to 2-1. Like the Grizzlies in the previous half inning, the Phoenix loaded the bases with an out in the inning. CU scored its first run of the ball game on a fielder's choice hit to short, scoring pinch runner Taylor Dorsey from third.
The Phoenix struck back in the bottom of the third inning with six runs to take a 7-2 lead over GGC. A seeing-single to left by third baseman Austin Krajnak, scoring second baseman Hector Morales who led the inning off with a double to the left field wall, tied the game at 2-2. Two batters later, first baseman Austin Voeller gave the Phoenix their first lead, 4-2, of the day with a two-run single down the left field line. With runners on first and second, designated hitter Mitch Langer launched the first pitch he saw off GGC starter Nikolay Uherek over the right field fence for a three-run home run, handing CU the 7-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, catcher Nick Mira pushed CU's gap to 8-2 with an RBI-double to the left-center field gap.
GGC moved its third run of the contest across the plate in the top of the fifth with a bases-loaded, infield chopper to short by Marcus McCorkle, cutting the Phoenix's lead to 8-3.
The Grizzlies continued to chip away at Cumberland's advantage, pulling within one, 8-7, in the sixth. On a 1-0 pitch, Shoppe ripped a two-run double to the left-center field gap, ending Hoppe's day on the mound, bringing the Phoenix lead to 8-5. With the bases loaded, right fielder Jean Figueroa hit a chopper to second to score Shoppe from third. While center fielder Chris Jones was at the plate, Mira attempted a back-pick at third base that sailed high, allowing second baseman Deion Sellers to score on the erred throw and bring the Grizzlies within one, 8-7.
Like in earlier innings, the Phoenix produced another run with bases loaded as right fielder Daijon Whitefield lifted a sacrifice fly to left, pushing CU's lead to 9-7.
Facing their final three outs of the contest, the Grizzlies rallied for a run in the bottom of the ninth, cutting CU's advantage to 9-8, but could not overcome Cumberland's lead in the Phoenix's 9-8 victory. Pinch hitter Austin Alexander led off the inning with a triple to the right-center gap and then scored on an RBI-single to shallow right by Shoppe.
Uherek (3-5) suffered the loss, surrendering nine earned runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings of work. Hoppe (2-6) picked up the victory, scattering five hits and seven runs, six earned, in five innings of work. CU's Evan Flener provided 3.1 innings of relief for the Phoenix while Langer recorded the final two outs for the save.
Georgia Gwinnett will continue its four-game road trip on Saturday as the Grizzlies meet Cumberland in the second meeting of their three-game set against the Phoenix. First pitch on Saturday is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
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