The No. 1-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team scored 10 runs in each contest Saturday to sweep a doubleheader against West Virginia Tech by 10-0 and 10-3 scores at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (8-1) used a pair of five-run second innings to take comfortable early leads in both games.

Sophomore Chase Evans led the team's offensive attack by going 5-for-6 and driving in three runs. He collected three hits and hit his first home run of the season, a two-run blast, in the first game of the day. Evans added two more hits and three RBI in the nightcap.

GGC took an early 2-0 lead in the opener when junior Jake Defries led off the game with a home run. That was followed with a double by Evans driving in senior Livingston Morris.

Senior J.D. Stubbs and freshman Braxton Meguiar each added two hits as the Grizzlies tallied 11 hits in the contest.

Senior starting pitcher Kevin Kyle improved to 3-0 on the season and registered a career-high 12 strikeouts across six innings in the opener. The right hander has 30 strikeouts in 16 innings this season.

In the second game, the Grizzlies scored five runs in the second inning and put four more runs on the scoreboard in the third inning to build a commanding 10-0 advantage. Meguiar collected two hits and drove in two runs from the top of the batting lineup. Defries went 2-for-4 and recorded two stolen bases, while two hits apiece were added by sophomore Joshua Holt Jr., junior Ryan Hunt, Stubbs, and McKisic.

Junior starter Rob Hamby recorded eight strikeouts and scattered three hits across five innings to pick up his third win of the season.


  "I was very happy with how we pitched and swung the bats. I think Kevin (Kyle) set the tone for the whole day with his performance on the mound. Rob (Hamby) followed with another strong outing. It is exciting to watch those guys pitch. Our offense scores early to separate ourselves from our opponent, but we need to continue scoring throughout the games, especially in the later innings," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  The second inning was decisive for the Grizzlies, scoring 10 runs across both games to earn the doubleheader sweep. The team pushed five runs to stretch its lead to 7-0 in the series opener. A two-run home run by sophomore Chase Evans was the big hit of the inning. In the nightcap, GGC once again scored five runs in the second inning to build a 6-0 advantage. Evans once again came through with the big hit, providing a two-run double to center field.
  First Game
Bottom of First
Jake Defries led off the game with his first home run of the season
 
Bottom of Second
Jake Defries opened a five-run second inning with a two-run double
Chase Evans connected on a two-run home run
 
Bottom of Fourth
J.D. Stubbs legged out a triple to right field to bring home Chase Evans
 
Second Game
Bottom of Second
J.D. Stubbs hit an RBI double to right field to give the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead
Chase Evans added a two-run double as the Grizzlies scored five runs in the frame
 
Bottom of Third
Myles McKisic hit a run-scoring double to begin a four-run inning
Ryan Hunt added an RBI single
Braxton Meguiar followed with a single to bring home J.D. Stubbs
 

• The Grizzlies tallied 16 hits in the nightcap to combine for 27 hits in the doubleheader
• GGC recorded nine stolen bases in the sweep
• Senior Kevin Kyle struck out a career-high 12 batters in the opener
• Sophomore Chase Evans went 5-for-6 and drove in six runs

• GGC improves to 8-1 on the season; West Virginia Tech falls to 1-9 in 2022
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 1 in the 2022 NAIA Top 25 preseason poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won 11 of the 13 meetings against West Virginia Tech
• The team is opening the season with 11 straight home games

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the four-game series against West Virginia Tech with a doubleheader on Sunday, February 20, from the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at noon.