The No. 7-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team flexed its muscles to score 17 runs for the second straight game in defeating West Virginia Tech 17-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

Sophomore Joe Quelch and junior Devin Warner each connected on home runs as the Grizzlies (8-2) built a 9-1 lead through the first three innings of the game.

Quelch's first round tripper of the season was a three-run blast in the opening frame. Warner then opened a six-run third inning with a two-run home run – his third homer of this spring. Sophomore Caden Smith and junior Jesus Pacheco each added base hits to score two runs in consecutive at-bats later in the third inning.

Also strong was the mound performance of junior starting pitcher Gage Williams, who struck out nine batters and didn't allow an earned run across five innings. He improved to 2-0 for this season.

Five pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts for GGC in Sunday's action.

Quelch paced GGC's 17-hit offensive attack by going 3-for-5 and scoring three runs to go along with his three RBI. Sophomore Brett Dingess also recorded three base hits and scored twice in the victory. Pacheco rounded out the multiple-hit performers with two hits in the weekend finale.


  "Whenever our group is challenged, they answer the bell. Whenever we have an area that needs to be addressed, they define it and go about the task of getting the job done. That's a huge staple of this group that will help carry us throughout the season," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  The Grizzlies scored six runs in the third inning to grab a 9-1 advantage. Junior Devin Warner connected on a two-run home run – his third homer of the season – to start the big offensive inning. Sophomore Caden Smith and junior Jesus Pacheco each drove in a pair of runs on consecutive at-bats later in the inning.
  Bottom of First
Joe Quelch connected on a three-run home run to open the scoring
 
Bottom of Third
Devin Warner hit a two-run home run to start a six-run frame
Caden Smith added a two-run double
Jesus Pacheco followed with a two-run single through the left side to give the Grizzlies a 9-1 lead
 
Bottom of Fourth
Kyle Norton lined a two-run single up the middle
 
Bottom of Seventh
Brody Parkerson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Jesus Pacheco
Joe Quelch hit an RBI single
Brett Dingess added a run-scoring single to bring home Joe Quelch
 

• GGC outhit West Virginia Tech by a 15-6 margin
• Junior Devin Warner hit his third home run of the season
• Sophomore Brett Dingess went 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs
• Five GGC pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts in the game

• GGC improves to 8-2 on the season; West Virginia Tech drops to 1-9 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won 15 of the 17 meetings between the two colleges
• The team scored 17 runs in both of this weekend's victories against West Virginia Tech

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to open a four-game series with a doubleheader against IU South Bend on Friday, February 24, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 2 p.m.