Box Score

The No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team flexed its muscle at the plate, on the pitcher's mound and on the field in a 16-1 seven-inning victory in Friday's opener of the weekend series against Stillman College at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

GGC (27-8) scored a run in each of the first five innings and also spread out 19 hits in the contest. Freshman Nick Barnes connected on two home runs and drove in four runs. Senior Ryan Lark, junior C.J. Ballard and freshman Walter Coursey each had three hits. Four other players had two hits for the team in the contest.

Meanwhile, junior Hunter Peck tied a single game school record with 13 strikeouts over six strong innings. The left hander improved to 7-0 on the season. Sophomore reliever Hunter Caudelle tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the Grizzlies.

GGC played flawless defense Friday, not committing an error, while Stillman had two defensive errors.

Turning Point

Freshman Nick Barnes hit the first of his two home runs in the third inning, with a solo blast deep over the left field fence. He added a two-run homer over the same fence in the fifth inning.

Key Plays

Bottom of First

Marcus McCorkle gave the hosts an early lead with a two-run single to center field

 

Bottom of Second

C.J. Ballard connected on a run-scoring single that drove home Jordan Tylski

Chris Jones followed with a RBI single to give GGC a 4-0 lead

Walter Coursey capped a three-run inning with a run-scoring single

 

Bottom of Third

Nick Barnes hit the first of two home runs in the game, with a deep blast to left field

 

Bottom of Fourth

Walter Coursey added a RBI single that scored Chris Jones for the second of eight runs in the frame

Jordan Tylski hit a double that brought home two additional runs

Ryan Lark scored Jordan Tylski with a single for the seventh run of the inning

 

Bottom of Fifth

Nick Barnes connected on a two-run home run to left field

 

By The Numbers

• GGC tallied 19 hits in the game
• The Grizzlies scored a run in each of the first five innings of the contest
• Ryan Lark, C.J. Ballard and Walter Coursey each tallied three hits in the victory
• Hunter Peck tied a single game school record with 13 strikeouts

News & Notes

• Georgia Gwinnett College improves to 27-8 on the season; Stillman drops to 12-14 this spring
• GGC is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Top 25 poll
• The Grizzlies are 19-2 at home in 2018
• Friday's contest was the first meeting played between the two colleges, which are members of the Association of Independent Institutions

Up Next

The two teams are scheduled to conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday, April 7, starting at 1 p.m.