Junior Gabe Austin hit a grand slam in the third inning to propel the No. 4-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team past No. 19 Indiana Tech 10-5 in Friday's series opener at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

Austin's fifth home run of the season turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 advantage for the Grizzlies, now 17-6 for the season and a winner for the 11th straight home game.

GGC collected 12 hits, led by senior C.J. Ballard with three hits, including a run-scoring double in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, sophomores Nick Barnes and Cord Johnson joined Austin in each having two hits in the victory.

The team's lead grew to seven runs, 9-2, in the sixth inning before Indiana Tech closed the gap to 9-5 with three runs in the top of the eighth inning.

Senior starting pitcher Gregory Loukinen spread 10 strikeouts across seven innings to improve to 6-1 on the season.


 
Coach's Corner
"Greg (Loukinen) made an adjustment the second time through (Indiana Tech's batting order) and began throwing the ball down in the zone. Lately, we have manufactured some runs offensively and we need to continue those efforts moving forward," said Head Coach Brad Stromdahl.
 
Turning Point
One swing of the bat turned a deficit into a lead that the Grizzlies would never relinquish. Junior Gabe Austin connected on a grand slam – the team's second of the season – over the center field fence to give the hosts a 5-2 lead. GGC would add two more runs later in the inning.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of Second
Cord Johnson drove in Alex Garland with an infield single to tie the game
 
Bottom of Third
Gabe Austin connected on a grand slam to give the Grizzlies a 5-2 lead
C.J. Ballard and Cam Coursey hit back-to-back RBI singles
 
Bottom of Fifth
C.J. Ballard brought home Brandon Robinson with a run-scoring double
 
Bottom of Sixth
Nick Tanner connected on a sacrifice fly to give the Grizzlies a 9-2 advantage
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC tallied 12 hits in the victory
• The Grizzlies registered eight stolen bases
• Senior C.J. Ballard led the Grizzlies with three hits
• Senior pitcher Gregory Loukinen had 10 strikeouts across seven innings to improve to 6-1 on the season
• GGC took advantage of six defensive errors by Indiana Tech; four of the team's runs were unearned

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 17-6 on the season; Indiana Tech drops to 12-7
• Georgia Gwinnett College was ranked No. 4 in the first regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Indiana Tech stood No. 19
• The Grizzlies have won all five games played in the series history between the two programs
• The team has won 11 straight home games

Up Next
The weekend series concludes with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 16, at 1 p.m. at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.