Early offense and a dominate pitching performance from junior Gavin Heltemes led the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team into the championship round of the 2022 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship with a 9-1 victory against Fisher College (Massachusetts) Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

The top-seeded Grizzlies (41-14) scored five runs in the opening inning and enjoyed an 8-0 advantage after three innings. Senior Livingston Morris led the early offensive charge by collecting two run-scoring hits within the first two frames. He lined an RBI single to center field in the first inning before legging out a run-scoring double down the left field line during a two-run second inning.

Heltemes was equally sharp on the mound, striking out eight batters without issuing a walk across seven scoreless innings. The right hander scattered six hits to improve his record to 6-1 this season.

The tournament hosts took advantage of five walks, six hit batters and two Fisher (28-27) defensive errors to score its nine runs. Freshman Braxton Meguiar and Morris each collected two hits as GGC tallied seven hits in the victory. Meguiar added a run-scoring single during the third inning. Sophomore Joshua Holt Jr. scored a pair of runs.

Junior Jake Defries also scored twice on Sunday and recorded his 50th stolen base of the season, marking the second player in program history to achieve that landmark during a season.

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: @GGCAthletics scored five runs in the opening inning to punch its ticket to Monday's championship round. @FisherFalcons will play later tonight at 7pm in an elimination game.#CAC_Baseball pic.twitter.com/CLfqkeFX9a

— Continental Athletics (@CAC_SportsNAIA) May 8, 2022

 
Coach's Corner
"I am extremely delighted with the excellent pitching performances we've had so far in this tournament. Gavin (Heltemes) knew that this was a swing game, with the winner being in the driver's seat (for the CAC title). He went out and threw a dominate performance. That's about as well as he's pitched in our program. Offensively, we created pressure (on Fisher) from the start. Our players certainly deserve to be competing for a championship after how they've played during the first two days of this tournament," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
The Grizzlies took early control of the contest by scoring five runs in the first inning. A line drive RBI single from senior Livingston Morris started the scoring. Then, senior J.D. Stubbs and junior Myles McKisic drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to stretch the lead to 3-0. Sophomore Joshua Holt Jr. drove in a run with a fielder's choice before a successful double steal attempt brought in the team's fifth run of the frame.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of First
Livingston Morris lined an RBI single to center field to bring home Jake Defries
J.D. Stubbs drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
Joshua Holt Jr. hit a fielder's choice to score Ryan Hunt
J.D. Stubbs stole home on a double steal to cap the team's five-run inning
 
Bottom of Second
Livingston Morris hit a run-scoring double down the left field line
 
Bottom of Third
Braxton Meguiar added an RBI single to shortstop to score the team's eighth run of the game
 
Inside The Numbers

• Both teams tallied seven hits in the contest
• Senior Gavin Heltemes struck out eight batters in picking up his sixth victory of the season
• The Grizzlies were hit by a pitch on six occasions
• Junior Jake Defries stole his 50th base of the season

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 41-14 on the season; Fisher drops to 28-27 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• GGC is the top seed in the 2022 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament; Fisher was the No. 2 seed
• The Grizzlies have won nine of the 10 meetings this season against the Falcons

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College has advanced to the championship round of the 2022 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament. Games in the double-elimination tournament are scheduled for Monday, May 9, with a game starting at 11 a.m. from the Grizzly Baseball Complex. If necessary, a second game will follow in the afternoon.