Georgia Gwinnett, the Association of Independent Institutions tournament champion and top seed out of the Lawrenceville Bracket, was the lone No. 1 seed to fall on Monday, as the Grizzlies lost 4-3 to No. 4 The Master's (Calif.) in their opening game of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round.
"The ball just didn't seem to fall our way tonight, but tomorrow we have a chance for redemption," said GGC head coach Brad Stromdahl. "In 2014, we had to go through the loser's bracket to win and advance to the College World Series, and I have full faith that we can do the same thing again this year."
Georgia Gwinnett (38-20) struck first in the opening of play to take a 1-0 lead off an RBI-single by designated hitter Marcus McCorkle.
Three innings later, The Master's tied the game with a solo home run by Max Maitland over the right-center field fence.
The Grizzlies battled back to plate two runs in the fifth, taking a 3-1 lead over the Mustangs. A costly fielding error by the TMU defense extended the inning allowing center fielder Chris Jones to score the go-ahead run, 2-1, on a bobble at short. After McCorkle reached on a walk to put runners on the corners, a double steal play was executed to perfection by the Grizzlies, allowing second baseman Deion Sellers to score from third to put GGC up 3-1.
Trailing 3-1 entering the seventh inning, The Master's landed four-straight two out singles to score two runs, tying the game at 3-3.
The Mustangs (37-15) took their first lead of the game, 4-3, and scored the eventual go-ahead run in the next inning when shortstop Aaron Shackelford's squeeze bunt scored pinch runner Rick Sottile from third base.
Georgia Gwinnett's Stone Kelly suffered the loss while TMU's Danny Lutz received with the win.
The Master's victory extends the Mustangs' winning streak to seven games while the loss snaps GGC's four-game winning streak.
Georgia Gwinnett will now face the winner of fifth-seeded LSU Shreveport and third-seeded Central Methodist (Mo.) in an elimination game on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. The Master's move on to face second-seeded Webber International (Fla.) on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. in the winner's bracket championship.
All three of day two's contests will be broadcast free of charge on the Grizzly Digital Network.
For all the latest on Grizzly Athletics, including news, scores, and features, visit GrizzlyAthletics.com. Check out all the latest Grizzly Athletics social media content via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and join the conversation by using #GGCAthletics. Interact with the Grizzly Baseball directly via Twitter at @GGC_Baseball.
