The productive No. 7-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team surpassed the 20-run plateau for the second time in three games, defeating Madonna University (Michigan) 23-3 Tuesday night at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (18-2) collected 17 hits and scored runs in five of their six innings to capture their 12th straight victory.

Five runs came in the first inning and four more runs were added in the second inning as the hosts built a 9-0 advantage. Another five-run inning came in the fourth and seven runs crossed home plate in the sixth.

GGC has outscored its last three opponents by a 65-5 – just in time for the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season to be announced on Wednesday.

Junior Ajay Sczepkowski connected on a pair of home runs to lead the offensive attack in Tuesday's game. He legged an inside-the-park home run in the third inning to score two runs. Then, the left fielder crushed a two-run home run over the left field fence during the five-run fourth inning.

Sczepkowski went 3-for-3 and scored five runs in the victory.

Junior Jon Ponder connected on a three-run home run in the fourth inning. He also tallied three hits and scored three times at the top of the team's batting lineup.

Sophomore Braxton Meguiar scored four runs and drew three walks in the contest. He also recorded three stolen bases.

Junior Jesus Pacheco and sophomores Brett Dingess and Kyle Norton each collected two hits for the Grizzlies.

The strong offense paved the way for sophomore starting pitcher Ben Harris to improve to 3-0 on the season. The right hander struck out eight batters across 5.2 innings. Sophomore Chandler Wood and junior Andrew Washington combined for three strikeouts in 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.


  "The beauty of this group is that they continue challenging each other to get better. Iron sharpens iron. We are seeing the results of that philosophy," said Jeremy Sheetinger.
  Junior Ajay Sczepkowski hit a pair of home runs as the Grizzlies powered past Madonna on Tuesday. His round trippers came different. The outfielder hustled around the bases during the third inning for an inside-the-park homer that scored two runs. One inning later, he crushed a two-run home run over the left field fence. It is the second time this season that he has had a multiple home run game.
  Bottom of First
Caden Smith hit a run-scoring single to left-center field to bring home Ajay Sczepkowski
Kyle Norton legged out a two-run triple to cap a five-run frame
 
Bottom of Second
Brett Dingess lined a two-run single to left field to give the Grizzlies a 9-0 lead
 
Bottom of Third
Ajay Sczepkowski hit an inside-the-park home run to left field to bring home two additional runs
 
Bottom of Fourth
Jon Ponder connected on a three-run home run to right field
Ajay Sczepkowski hit his second home run of the game, connecting on a two-run round tripper over the left field fence
 
Bottom of Sixth
Jon Ponder hit a run-scoring single up the middle to bring home Jesus Pacheco
Ryan Hunt added a two-run single through the right side of the infield as the Grizzlies scored seven times in the frame
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Madonna by a 17-6 margin
• Five different players tallied at least two hits in the victory
• Sophomore Braxton Meguiar drew three walks and recorded three stolen bases
• Junior center fielder Jon Ponder had four putouts

• GGC improves to 18-2 this spring; Madonna falls to 6-7 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll
• The team leads the series 9-3 with this two-game midweek set marking the first games between the colleges since the 2018 season
• Junior Ajay Sczepkowski tied the single-game school record with two home runs

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to once again host Madonna University (Michigan) on Wednesday, March 8, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 3 p.m.