Georgia Gwinnett College junior Ajay Sczepkowski added two more home runs to his record-setting season as the top-seeded Grizzlies cruised to a 19-1 victory Sunday over No. 2 seed Fisher College (Massachusetts) at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. The second straight double-digit postseason win has advanced the team to the championship round of the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship.

The Grizzlies (46-5; ranked No. 4 nationally) scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning for the second consecutive day, and then broke the game open with four runs in the second inning and nine runs during the third frame.

GGC has outscored its two opponents by a 33-1 margin in the CAC tournament and the team takes a 17-game winning streak into the championship round.

Sczepkowski contributed mightily to the productive offense with back-to-back home runs in the second and third innings, accounting for four of the early runs. His 28 home runs are a school record for a season.

Junior Devin Warner sparked the first inning run production by hitting a two RBI double on the 13th pitch of his at-bat. Sophomore Caden Smith then hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to give the Grizzlies a 5-0 lead.
One inning later, sophomore Kyle Norton hit an RBI double before the first of Sczepkowski's homers extended the margin to eight runs.

Then, the middle of the lineup added more runs in the third inning as Norton hit an RBI ground out to second base and Sczepkowski crushed his second two-run homer, this one over the left field fence, to give GGC a commanding 13-0 lead.

Senior Blaze O'Saben and junior Jon Ponder recorded back-to-back hits to score two runs to cap the team's nine-run third inning.

Six players recorded two or more hits as part of GGC's 18-hit attack. Sczepkowski was 4-for-5 at the plate, with the two homers, while sophomore Joe Quelch, Ponder, Norton, Smith, and O'Saben each had two hits.

On the mound, sophomore starting pitcher Cameron Repetti, the 2023 CAC Pitcher of the Year, struck out eight batters and scattered two hits across five scoreless innings. The right hander improved to 11-0 on the season.

Senior Sam Hunt and junior Andrew Washington combined for five strikeouts and allowed only one hit in a pair of one-inning relief efforts.

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: @GGCAthletics advances to the championship round behind a strong offensive performance against @FisherFalcons.#CACBaseball pic.twitter.com/fUCmLVehAB

— Continental Athletics (@CAC_SportsNAIA) May 7, 2023

  "We executed the way we drew things up. Cameron (Repetti) really set a tone on the mound and the offense followed his lead. Overall, it was another great team effort. Great players show up in big moments and (Sczepkowski) had a good week of preparation," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  The Grizzlies put five runs on the scoreboard in the opening frame for the second straight postseason game. Junior Devin Warner had a lengthy at-bat before taking the 13th pitch for a two-run double down the right field line that scored a pair of runs. GGC put the game out of reach by adding four runs in the second inning and nine runs during the third frame.
Bottom of First
Devin Warner hit a two-run double down the right field line on the 13th pitch of his at-bat
Caden Smith added a sacrifice fly to right field to cap the productive opening inning
 
Bottom of Second
Kyle Norton hit an RBI double down the left field line
Ajay Sczepkowski connected on a two-run home run to left field
 
Bottom of Third
Kyle Norton had an RBI ground out to second base that scored Blaze O'Saben
Ajay Sczepkowski hit his second two-run home run of the game for his 28th homer of the season
Jesus Pacheco hit an RBI ground out to third base that gave GGC a 14-0 lead
Blaze O'Saben brought home a pair of runs with a single
Jon Ponder capped the team's nine-run frame with a two-run double down the left field line
 

• GGC outhit Fisher by a commanding 18-3 margin, highlighted by five doubles, two home runs and one triple
• Junior Ajay Sczepkowski recorded his eighth game with multiple home runs this season; he also went 4-for-5 from the plate
• The Grizzlies successfully stole nine bases to total 20 steals during the CAC tournament
• Three GGC pitchers combined to record 13 strikeouts

• GGC improves to 46-5 this spring, while Fisher drops to 28-22 on the season
• 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; Fisher stood as the No. 2 seed
• GGC has won all seven meetings this season against the Falcons

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play in the championship round of the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Monday, May 8, from the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at noon. The opponent will be determined in the rest of Sunday's tournament action.