No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball lit up the scoreboard in a doubleheader sweep Wednesday of three-time defending NAIA national champion Lewis-Clark State College. The Grizzlies scored 39 runs and tallied 41 hits in the two games.

GGC (19-3) scored a school-record 26 runs on 23 hits in a 26-15 win in the opener. Then, the Grizzlies pushed across four runs in the ninth inning and held off a late rally by the Warriors to win the nightcap 13-11.

GGC set school records for most runs (26), RBI (24) and at bats (50) in a game, while four home runs tied another record and the 23 hits were one hit shy of tying another mark. The previous record for runs scored in a game was 25 set against Voorhees College (S.C.) during the 2014 season, and this marked the 10th time that a GGC team has scored 20 or more runs in a game.

In the second game, junior Alex Garland collected a key two-run double in the ninth inning to give the visitors 13-9 lead. The hosts got a two-run double and brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. However, junior Jordan Tylski got a strikeout and a fly out to seal the victory.

"We played a really good game Tuesday (a 10-9 extra-inning loss). The guys came back calm and collected today and ready for the challenge. We played today like we have all season long. It just felt like another good day at the ballpark," said Head Coach Brad Stromdahl.

After falling behind 7-4, the Grizzlies took an 8-7 lead behind a three-run seventh inning. Freshman Walter Coursey delivered a two-run double to put GGC ahead. Lewis-Clark State (12-5) would tie the game, 8-8, on a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning. GGC regained the advantage, 9-8, in the eighth inning only to see the Warriors square the contest again.

In the ninth inning, junior Onassis Matos gave GGC a 10-9 lead with a run-scoring single. Senior Chris Jones followed with a RBI single to set up Garland's key at bat.

GGC's offensive performance in the first game is one of the best recorded against Lewis-Clark State, a perennial NAIA power with 19 national titles. In fact, the 26 runs and 23 hits tied for all-time highs by any opponent against the Warriors.

Turning Point

After Lewis-Clark State tied the game at 7-7 in the fourth inning, GGC responded with its second consecutive seven-run inning. The Grizzlies collected seven hits to score the seven runs. Junior Jordan Tylski gave GGC an 8-7 lead with a run-scoring double. A double by junior C.J. Ballard brought home Tylski. Senior Marcus McCorkle hit a two-run double to give GGC an 11-7 lead.

Records Set

Team

Runs (26)

RBI (24)

At Bats (50)

Inside The Numbers

• The two teams combined for 65 runs on 70 base hits in Wednesday's doubleheader; the series has featured 84 runs
• The Grizzlies hit 13 doubles Wednesday
• Alex Garland went 6-for-11 with six RBI and six runs scored in the doubleheader
• Walter Coursey was 6-for-8 with seven RBI and four runs in the two games
• Jordan Tylski picked up his third save of the season

News & Notes

• Georgia Gwinnett College improves to 19-3 on the season; Lewis-Clark State falls to 12-5
• GGC was No. 2 and Lewis-Clark State is No. 6 in the first regular-season NAIA Top-25 poll, released earlier this week by the NAIA national office
• GGC is now 2-3 against Lewis-Clark State in the all-time series
• The Grizzlies have hit 11 home runs over the last six games

Up Next

Georgia Gwinnett College wraps up its four-game midweek series at No. 6 Lewis-Clark State College with a single game Thursday, March 8, starting at 3 p.m.