Back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the second inning paved the way for the top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College softball team to advance to the championship round of the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket with a 7-1 victory over No. 3 seed Indiana Tech on Tuesday morning at the Grizzly Softball Complex.

For the second straight postseason game, the Grizzlies (42-10; No. 8 NAIA national ranking) rebounded after allowing a run in the top of the first inning. This time they answered with seven unanswered runs.

GGC took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the first frame after two clutch at-bats in the middle of the batting lineup. First, senior Lea McFadden hit an infield RBI single to score classmate Sydney Pelaez with the tying score. Then, junior Kloey Goins drove in sophomore Lindzie Owen with a sacrifice fly to right field for the lead.

One inning later, consecutive two-out RBI singles by junior Josie Haulk and Owen plated three runs and extended the tournament host's lead to 5-1. Owen's base hit to center field brought home a pair of runs.

Pelaez added a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning before Haulk lined a run-scoring double in the sixth inning.

Along the way the Grizzlies managed to outhit Indiana Tech (41-11) by a 10-2 margin, with freshman Enna Lackey, Haulk and Owen tallying two hits apiece in the victory. Pelaez scored twice from the leadoff spot in the batting order.

Sophomore pitcher Annalise Wood improved to 22-2 this season inside the circle. This time she struck out 12 batters across seven strong innings and the only run scored by Indiana Tech was unearned.

The championship round is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 17, starting at noon. GGC is one victory away from advancing to the NAIA World Series for the third time in program history.
  "Our offense really executed today. We learned from Monday's game (4-1 win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods) that we needed to get two-out hits. We came back and did that today," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
  After pushing two runs across in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead, the Grizzlies continued to add to their run total. They scored three runs in the second inning, all being scored with two outs in the inning. Junior Josie Haulk hit a run-scoring single up the middle before sophomore Lindzie Owen lined a two-run single to center field.
  Bottom of First
Lea McFadden tied the game, 1-1, with an infield RBI single
Kloey Goins hit a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Grizzlies the lead
 
Bottom of Second
Josie Haulk hit an RBI single up the middle that scored Logan Oller
Lindzie Owen lined a two-run single to center field that gave GGC a 5-1 lead
 
Bottom of Fourth
Sydney Pelaez hit a sacrifice fly that scored Enna Lackey
 
Bottom of Sixth
Josie Haulk lined an RBI double to left-center field that provided the Grizzlies a 7-1 advantage
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Indiana Tech by a 10-2 margin in the victory
• Sophomore Lindzie Owen went 2-for-4, with two RBI, and had two stolen bases
• Sophomore pitcher Annalise Wood had 12 strikeouts to improve her record to 22-2 this season
• GGC stole five bases in Tuesday's tournament game  

• GGC improves to 42-10 this spring, while Indiana Tech drops to 41-11 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll; Indiana Tech received votes in the same poll
• GGC was the No. 1 seed in the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket; Indiana Tech stood as the No. 3 seed
• Tuesday's contest marked the first meeting between the two programs

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play in the championship round of the Lawrenceville Bracket on Wednesday, May 17, from the Grizzly Softball Complex. One more GGC victory will advance the team to this year's NAIA World Series.