The top-seeded and tournament host Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team began its quest for the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference championship with a convincing 14-0 victory over No. 4-seeded Iowa Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (45-5; ranked No. 4 nationally), winners of 16 consecutive games, opened the tournament by scoring five runs in the first inning. They then sealed the victory by adding five additional runs in the sixth inning.

Saturday's victory moves GGC into the winner's bracket against No. 2 seed Fisher College (Massachusetts) on Sunday, May 7, starting at 11 a.m.

Junior starting pitcher Gage Williams struck out seven batters and scattered six hits in tossing the shutout. He improved to 9-1 on the season.

Sophomore Braxton Meguiar hit a two-run single early in the first inning before junior Devin Warner drove in a pair of runs with a double to give the hosts a quick 5-0 lead.

Junior Ajay Sczepkowski, the 2023 CAC Player of the Year, added a two-run double in the second inning to increase the team's advantage to 7-0.

As part of the productive sixth inning, junior Cohen Wilbanks hit a two-run single before junior Jesus Pacheco lined a single that brought home two more runs.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies also registered 11 stolen bases in the victory, with five different players registering two steals. Besides his two steals, junior Jon Ponder also went 2-for-4 at the plate, with a pair of runs scored, from the leadoff spot in the batting order.

Eight of the nine GGC players in the starting lineup collected a hit in the first contest of postseason play.

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: @GGCAthletics opens the tournament with a shutout victory over @IWTigers. Video courtesy of @GDN_Production #CACBaseball pic.twitter.com/Os2dSr5HUJ

— Continental Athletics (@CAC_SportsNAIA) May 6, 2023

  "We wanted to set the tone early and establish our tempo for the game. Gage (Williams) did an outstanding job in the first inning and the offense did an awesome job of answering the bell. I was excited with how everything upfolded for us after that," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  Back-to-back run-producing base hits in the first inning gave the Grizzlies an early five-run cushion. Sophomore Braxton Meguiar brought home a pair of runs with a single before junior Devin Warner hit a two-run double. That early offensive run production allowed junior right hander Gage Williams to settle into the game and go the distance in the tournament opener.
  Bottom of First
Braxton Meguiar hit a two-run single that gave the Grizzlies a 3-0 advantage
Devin Warner followed with a two-run double
 
Bottom of Second
Ajay Sczepkowski lined a double that brought home a pair of runs to stretch the lead to 7-0
 
Bottom of Fifth
Cohen Wilbanks hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Joe Quelch
Braxton Meguiar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded
 
Bottom of Sixth
Cohen Wilbanks lined a single to score two runs
Jesus Pacheco added a two-run single up the middle
Jon Ponder hit an RBI single that capped the team's second five-run frame of the contest
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Iowa Wesleyan by a 10-6 margin
• GGC recorded 11 steals, with five players registering two stolen bases
• Junior starting pitcher Gage Williams had seven strikeouts in tossing the shutout
• Junior Jon Ponder extended his school-record hitting streak to 32 games

• GGC improves to 45-5 on the season, while Iowa Wesleyan drops to 17-21 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season NAIA Top 25 poll
• The team was the No. 1 seed in the Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship; Iowa Wesleyan stood as the No. 4 seed
• GGC has won 16 straight games

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Fisher College (Massachusetts) in a 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship winner's bracket contest on Sunday, May 7, from the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 11 a.m.