Another game, another different player rose to the occasion for the No. 5-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team on Tuesday afternoon.

This time it was junior Cohen Wilbanks who made a big impact in the Grizzlies' 11-6 home victory against No. 16 Bryan College (Tennessee) at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

Wilbanks went 3-for-4 and drove in a five runs to lead the host's 14-hit offensive attack in the sixth midweek victory, without a loss, this season. The victory improved the team's record to 29-4 overall and 26-4 on the home diamond.

GGC players came out hitting on all cylinders, literally. The first four batters in the lineup collected a base hit. Sophomore Braxton Meguiar opened the scoring with an RBI single to right field. Then, Wilbanks started his strong day at the plate with a two-run double that gave the Grizzlies an early 5-0 advantage.

A few innings later, junior Chase Evans extended the lead to 6-0 with an RBI ground out to second base.

Bryan (21-10) pushed across three runs in the top of the fourth inning to cut the deficit in half. Keeko Garcia hit a two-run double with two outs in the frame.

However, the Grizzlies bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore Joe Quelch connected on a solo home run before Wilbanks brought home a pair of runs with a single. That once again gave the team a six-run lead, at 9-3.

Wilbanks ended his strong day at the plate by hitting an RBI single in the seventh inning. Junior Jesus Pacheco followed with a run-scoring single later in the frame to score the team's 11th run of the game.

Sophomore Kyle Norton, Quelch and Wilbanks each tallied three hits in the contest.

Junior starting pitcher Gage Williams struck out eight batters across 6.1 innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. Senior relievers Jaelin Sewell and Garrett Houston combined for five strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings.


  "We came out strong and took control of the game early. That's because of the proper approach that our players brought into the game. Cohen (Wilbanks) has grown so much over the last year and has played his way into being our starting catcher," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  The Grizzlies scored five runs on five base hits in the opening inning to grab early momentum in the contest. Junior Jon Ponder led off with a single before sophomore Braxton Meguiar followed with an RBI single. Junior Ajay Sczepkowski added a single through the left side of the infield. Then, sophomore Joe Quelch hit a single to center field to load the bases. Junior Cohen Wilbanks capped the big opening frame with a two-run double.
  Bottom of First
Braxton Meguiar hit an RBI single to right field that opened the scoring
Cohen Wilbanks lined a two-run double to left-center field that capped the team's five-run inning
 
Bottom of Third
Chase Evans grounded out to second base to bring home Brett Dingess
 
Bottom of Fifth
Joe Quelch connected on a solo home run
Cohen Wilbanks hit a single to left field that brought home a pair of runs and gave GGC a 9-3 lead
 
Bottom of Seventh
Cohen Wilbanks added a run-scoring single to left field
Jesus Pacheco hit an RBI single that scored Ryan Hunt for the team's 11th run
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Bryan by a 14-10 margin in the contest
• Junior Cohen Wilbanks went 3-for-4 with five RBI in the victory
• Three GGC pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts
• Sophomore Brett Dingess recorded two of the team's five stolen bases on Tuesday

• GGC improves to 29-4 on the season, while Bryan drops to 21-10 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 5 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll; Bryan stood No. 16 in the same poll
• The team has a 10-3 lead in the series history, including a 10-2 road victory last Tuesday
• The Grizzlies have hit 49 home runs through 33 games

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to No. 14 Loyola University (Louisiana) on Friday, March 31, from New Orleans, Louisiana, starting at 6 p.m.