Georgia Gwinnett College junior left fielder Ajay Sczepkowski made the most of his five at-bats Saturday night, setting a program's single-game record with three home runs in the Grizzlies' 17-8 victory against Middle Georgia State University at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

Sczepkowski's three homers came in consecutive plate appearances – to three different outfield directions – and accounted for seven runs batted in for the No. 5-ranked Grizzlies (28-4).

Also, the power performance built upon four two-homer performances this spring, one coming on Tuesday at Bryan College (Tennessee).

Saturday's in-state battle featured back-and-forth action with GGC taking a 5-3 lead following a four-run second inning. Single runs by the Knights (16-15) in the top half of the third and fourth innings tied the contest at 5-5 before Sczepkowski's power surge.

The outfielder opened the bottom of the fourth frame with a home run down the right field line to give the hosts the lead for good at 6-5.

"All our hitters were locked in and there was a lot of energy on the field this evening. I try to lead by example and get the guys going," said Sczepkowski.

He definitely accomplished that goal. In the fifth inning, Sczepkowski connected on a three-run home run to left-center field as the lead grew to 11-5. He then followed with a two-run round tripper – the record-maker – to center field two innings later.

"I went up to the plate looking to do my job. With runners on second and third base, I was looking to score at least one run in that situation. We ended up scoring three. I didn't know that I had set a record and it's awesome to achieve that feat. However, ultimately, the home runs helped the team win the game. That's the most important thing," said Sczepkowski, who finished the game with a 3-for-5 hitting performance.

GGC scored five runs in the fifth inning and pushed four runs across in the seventh inning.

Junior Jon Ponder set the power-play tone for the evening by hitting a lead-off home run to left field in the first inning. The center fielder scored four runs in the victory. Sophomore Braxton Meguiar tallied three hits and scored three times. Junior Cohen Wilbanks legged out a pair of doubles among three hits that helped produce three RBI. Senior Blaze O'Saben rounded out the team's balanced 18-hit attack by going 2-for-3 at the plate.

Senior reliever Jaelin Sewell struck out two batters across 1.1 inning in relief to pick up the victory. Classmate Jonathan Haab tossed four strong innings out of the bullpen to record his fourth save of the season.

 
  "I'm so proud of how the players responded to the challenge that we gave them after (splitting) last night's doubleheader (against Toccoa Falls College). Ajay is one of our clubhouse leaders and feels that he can put the team on his back when necessary. He shows up in big-time moments," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  Junior Ajay Sczepkowski turned a historic performance by becoming the first GGC player to hit three home runs in a game, sparking the Grizzlies to the home victory. He put the team ahead for good, at 6-5, with a home run to lead off the fourth inning. The left fielder then connected a three-run home run one inning later. Sczepkowski ended the productive night with a towering two-run blast over the center field fence in the seventh inning. Sczepkowski has connected on two round trippers four times this season: against Taylor University (Indiana) on February 10, Madonna University (Michigan) on March 7, University of Mobile (Alabama) last Saturday, and Bryan College (Tennessee) on Tuesday.
  Bottom of First
Jon Ponder opened the game with a home run to left field
 
Bottom of Second
Cohen Wilbanks hit an RBI double to left field during a four-run inning
 
Bottom of Fourth
Ajay Sczepkowski led off the frame with a home run to right field that gave GGC a 6-5 lead
 
Bottom of Fifth
Ajay Sczepkowski connected on a three-run homer as part of a five-run frame
 
Bottom of Seventh
Ajay Sczepkowski hit a two-run home run to center field for his third homer of the game for a 13-8 GGC lead
Cohen Wilbanks added a run-scoring single that brought home Brett Dingess
 
Bottom of Eighth
Devin Warner hit a sacrifice fly that scored Braxton Meguiar for the team's 17th run of the game
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Middle Georgia State by an 18-12 margin
• Seven of GGC's hits went for extra bases
• The Grizzlies hit four home runs, with junior Ajay Sczepkowski accounting for a school-record three blasts, and junior Jon Ponder led off the game with a round tripper
• GGC recorded eight stolen bases

• GGC improves to 28-4 on the season, while Middle Georgia State drops to 16-15 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Junior Ajay Sczepkowski hit his 17th home run this spring to stand third most in program history
• The Grizzlies are 15-2 in March

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 16 Bryan College (Tennessee) on Tuesday, March 28, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 3 p.m.