The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team will be making its sixth Avista NAIA World Series appearance, and the fifth straight trip to Lewiston, Idaho, after defeating Freed-Hardeman University (Tennessee) 7-1 in Thursday's championship game of the NAIA Opening Round's Lawrenceville Bracket at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The top-seeded Grizzlies (50-6; No. 3 NAIA national ranking) are taking a similar pathway to their 2021 tournament run, which culminated in a national championship.

That year GGC used spectacular pitching and timely hitting to defeat Hope International University (California) 5-2 in an Opening Round championship contest that featured the bracket's top two seeds.

The same ingredients brought success this time as well. Sophomore Ben Harris was spectacular on the mound, posting a four-hit complete-game gem that featured seven strikeouts, many in crucial situations.

The right hander opened the outing with four consecutive scoreless innings and then retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced to seal the victory in the winner-take-all game – the third contest between the two postseason rivals.

"I have a great defense behind me, so I just executed the pitches and focused on the task at hand. I was feeling it today and after we took the lead, I knew that this was my game (to win)," said Harris, who improved to 7-1 for the season.



The No. 1-seeded Grizzlies supported Harris by scoring seven unanswered runs after No. 2 seed Freed-Hardeman (40-21) had taken a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the fifth inning on a run-scoring single from Sean Rooney.

Harris stranded a runner in scoring position to end another scoring threat in the frame.

GGC quickly answered in the top of the sixth inning as the offensive lineup faced Freed-Hardeman starting pitcher Colton Huntt for the third time on the day. Junior Ajay Sczepkowski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the contest, 1-1. Then, four defensive errors by the Lions allowed the Grizzlies to take the lead and add three more runs.

Two runs came home after sophomore Joe Quelch hit a ground ball to third base. Freed-Hardeman recorded an out at the plate, trying to turn a double play, but the throw to first base sailed down the right field line. That allowed sophomore Kyle Norton and Sczepkowski to score.

Sophomore Braxton Meguiar added a run-scoring single up the middle that scored Quelch and junior Jesus Pacheco hit a run-scoring single to shortstop for a 5-1 GGC advantage.

"We got back to our approach in the sixth inning," said Sczepkowski. "We put together good at-bat after good at-bat to swing the momentum our way. There are no words to describe the feeling of going to the World Series."



The Grizzlies added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning as junior Jon Ponder hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Norton lined an RBI double down the left field line.

GGC outhit Freed-Hardeman by a 11-4 margin, led by Pacheco going 4-for-4 at the plate. Norton and Meguiar each added two hits in the victory.

Harris' complete-game performance was reminiscent of junior Tyler Clayton's stellar pitching performance when he went the distance against Hope International in the championship game of the 2021 NAIA Opening Round game.

"Ben's performance was right up there with Tyler's (Clayton) game in 2021, tossing a complete game in a crucial championship-game situation," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger. "We had options that we liked in the bullpen, but Ben was pitching so well. He kept telling me that he felt good after each inning. That's the trust and love we've built within our program."

 

BASEBALL VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: @GGC_Baseball wins the Lawrenceville Bracket by defeating Freed-Hardeman 7-1 in the championship game.@NAIABall #NAIABaseball pic.twitter.com/04fXHQZV8K

— GGC Athletics (@GGCAthletics) May 18, 2023

  "From day one of fall practice we've told the players that the twisted path is sometimes the perfect path. We had to dig down and gather a toughness that we didn't know we had. This is the toughest group of players that I've ever coached. I'm so proud to take this group to Lewiston and the World Series," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  Taking advantage of four defensive miscues by the Lions, the Grizzlies scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a commanding lead in Thursday's Opening Round championship game. Two runs were scored following a throwing error while attempting the back end of a double play. Sophomore Kyle Norton and junior Ajay Sczepkowski scored on the play to give GGC a 3-1 lead. Back-to-back RBI singles from sophomore Braxton Meguiar and junior Jesus Pacheco capped the significant five-run inning. Bottom of Fifth
Sean Rooney hit a run-scoring single up the middle that gave the Lions a 1-0 advantage
 
Top of Sixth
Ajay Sczepkowski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the contest, 1-1
Two runs were scored following a throwing error while attempting to complete the back end of a double play, following a ground ball hit by Joe Quelch
Braxton Meguiar added an RBI single up the middle
Jesus Pacheco hit an infield single to shortstop that capped the team's five-run inning
 
Top of Ninth
Jon Ponder hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored an insurance run
Kyle Norton lined an RBI double down the left field line to plate the team's seventh run of the game
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Freed-Hardeman by an 11-4 margin
• Junior Jesus Pacheco went 4-for-4 in the victory
• Senior right fielder Blaze O'Saben recorded six putouts
• Three of GGC's hits went for doubles on Thursday

• GGC improves to 50-6 on the season, while Freed-Hardeman ended the season with a 40-21 record
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll; Freed-Hardeman received votes in the same poll
• The team was the No. 1 seed in the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket; Freed-Hardeman stood as the 2 seed
• Georgia Gwinnett College has now advanced to the Avista NAIA World Series in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2014

Georgia Gwinnett College will play in the 2023 Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, beginning on May 26.