The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team earned a pair of commanding seven-inning victories over two different opponents Friday at the Grizzly Baseball Complex to achieve its 35th win of the season.

The Grizzlies (35-9) defeated Fisher College (Massachusetts) 14-1 in the morning contest before scoring a 14-2 evening triumph against Talladega College (Alabama).

The hosts extended their winning streak to six games, scoring 77 runs during the stretch, and improved the home record to 31-7 for this spring.

Against Fisher, GGC pushed across five runs in the fourth inning and six additional runs during the sixth inning. Senior Griffin Keller led the team's 17-hit offensive attack by going 4-for-5 and scoring three runs. Junior Austin Bates drove in three runs and collected three hits, while junior Nick Barnes added three hits.

Junior Cord Johnson and sophomore Jake Defries each tallied two hits to round out the Grizzlies' balanced effort in the day's opener.

Senior starting pitcher Hunter Dollander struck out a season-high 11 batters and scattered four hits in the complete-game victory. The right hander improved to 9-1 on the season and picked up his 25th career victory.

In the nightcap, the Grizzlies connected on four home runs, including a pair during an eight-run first inning against Talladega. After allowing two runs in the top of the first inning, Keller hit his ninth homer of the season to trim the deficit to 2-1. A grand slam homer by Defries gave the hosts an 8-2 lead.

Junior Gabe Howell hit a three-run home run in the third inning and sophomore Myles McKisic added a two-run round tripper during the fifth frame.

Freshman left hander Tyler Clayton improved to 3-1 on the season with five quality innings from the starting assignment. Sophomores Alex Friesen and Hunter Moody each tossed a scoreless inning in relief.


 
"Hunter (Dollander) helped set the tone for the day by coming at opposing hitters and being ultra-competitive. That carried over to Tyler (Clayton) in the second game. This group is making mature decisions on the field and playing with confidence," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
The Grizzlies hit a pair of home runs in the opening inning against Talladega, turning a 2-0 deficit into a six-run lead. Senior Griffin Keller hit a solo home run over the right field fence to open the big inning. Later, sophomore Jake Defries connected on a grand slam homer to give GGC an 8-2 advantage.
 
Fisher Game
Bottom of First
Jake Defries scored on a wild pitch to open the scoring
Austin Bates lined a run-scoring single to center field
 
Bottom of Third
Nick Barnes brought home Myles Smith with an infield single
 
Bottom of Fourth
Livingston Morris drove in a pair of runs with an RBI single to right field
 
Bottom of Sixth
Griffin Keller lined a two-run single up the middle to highlight a six-run inning
 
Talladega Game
Bottom of First
Chase Evans gave the Grizzlies a 4-2 lead with a two-run single
Jake Defries connected on a grand slam home run to right field
 
Bottom of Third
Gabe Howell hit a three-run homer to left field to extend GGC's lead to 11-2
 
Bottom of Fifth
Myles McKisic drives a two-run home run out to center field for the team's fourth home run of the game
 

• Seventeen of the Grizzlies' 26 hits for the day came during the first game
• GGC hitters drew 12 walks in the Talladega contest
• The team connected on four home runs against Talladega and legged two triples in the Fisher contest

• GGC improves to 35-9 on the season; Fisher stands 28-15 in 2021; Talladega is 15-26 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 8 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• The team has scored 77 runs during its current six-game winning streak
• All three teams are members of the Association of Independent Institutions and will compete in the A.I.I. Baseball Championship, being hosted by GGC from May 8-11

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Talladega College (Alabama) and Fisher College (Massachusetts) for Senior Day on Saturday, May 1, with games at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, from the Grizzly Baseball Complex.