The No. 3-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team scored a pair of come-from-behind victories, including erasing a nine-run deficit in Thursday's opening game at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (7-1) rallied past Indiana Wesleyan University 13-12 before defeating Indiana University Kokomo 6-2 to begin a 17-game home stand.

GGC scored 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pick up the one-run triumph in the opener. The rally started with junior Alex Harrell hitting a single that trimmed the deficit to 12-6 and plated the third run of the frame. Following a walk with the bases loaded, senior Kyle Norton brought home a pair of runs with a single up the middle. That brought the tying run to the plate.

Indiana Wesleyan (3-2) went to the bullpen to bring in Cam LaFuze, the team's closer. GGC also turned to its bench with senior pinch hitter Scott Seeker. The Grizzly delivered a clutch two-run double to left field to cut the Wildcats' advantage to one run, at 12-11. Two batters later, senior Braxton Meguiar capped the dramatic rally with a two-run double down the left field line to give GGC the winning 13-12 margin.

"I was just trying to come through for the team. Anyone on the bench could have gone up there and done the job. My number was called, and I tried to put together one good at-bat and not be the hero. I flipped the lineup over to the top of the batting order and Braxton got the job done. Our (eighth inning) was great team baseball," said Seeker.

Senior reliever Tyler E. Martin came in to secure victory by tossing a scoreless ninth inning to record his first save of the 2025 season. Senior reliever Hunter Polley picked up the victory after a 1.2 innings on the mound. Five different pitchers appeared in the contest, with senior Wyatt Dodgens tossing 2.2 scoreless innings during the middle portion of the game.

Indiana Wesleyan (3-2) used a nine-run fourth inning to seize early control of the contest. Quinn Willard hit an RBI single to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead. Caleb Engelsman added a double to plate two more runs before Trevor Vojtkofsk connected on a three-run home run over the left field fence.

The visitors pushed three runs across in the top of the eighth inning to build a 12-3 advantage.

In the nightcap, the Grizzlies once again trailed early only to plate five unanswered runs. Senior Zayd Brannigan gave the hosts a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring single as part of a two-run third inning.

One inning later, Harrell hustled for a triple that plated a pair of runs. A balk on an opposing pitcher allowed for another run to score in the sixth inning as the lead grew to 6-2.

Senior reliever Jeremiah Locklear was dominant out of the bullpen, striking out six batters across five scoreless innings. The left hander stranded the bases loaded during the top of the fifth inning.

"We don't win that game without him (Locklear). He has experience in a long relief situation. The way he pitched and hung up zeros (on the opposing scoreboard) allowed our offense a chance to come back. That's what an older player is supposed to do," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

Meguiar paced the Grizzlies' offensive attack by going 4-for-5 for the night, including a 3-for-3 performance with three RBI against Indiana Wesleyan. Harrell tallied two hits in Thursday's nightcap and Ponder scored three runs in the games.


 
Coach's Corner
"We had a lot of belief. If we have an out, we have a chance (for the comeback). Turning around a game (Indiana Wesleyan) like that took a deep-rooted belief in the team and belief that the guy in front of you was going to get the job done. It was a team-defined win on every front," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
The bottom of GGC's batting order helped complete the comeback in the eighth inning in Thursday's opener. Senior Kyle Norton hit a two-run single up the middle to bring the tying run to the plate, trailing 12-9. After a pitching change, senior pinch hitter Scott Seeker lined a two-run double. Then, following a walk to senior Jon Ponder, senior Braxton Meguiar hit a go-ahead double down the left field line to give GGC the 13-12 lead.
 
Key Plays
Indiana Wesleyan Game
Bottom of Third
Jacob Bohacek successfully stole third base and scored following a throwing error, giving the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead
 
Top of Fourth
Grant Payson hit an RBI double to left field to square the contest
Quinn Willard added a run-scoring single to center field to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead
Caleb Engelsman drove in a pair of runs with a double to left field
Trevor Vojtkofsk connected on a three-run home run to cap a nine-run frame
 
Bottom of Fourth
Kyle Norton lined a double to left-center field that allowed Zayd Brannigan to score
Norton later stole third base and scored on a throwing error on the play, cutting the deficit to 9-3
 
Bottom of Eighth
Alex Harrell singled to score Jon Ponder, trimming the deficit to 12-6
Kyle Norton brought home two runs with a single up the middle
Scott Seeker hit a pinch-hit double down the left field line to plate two runs to bring the Grizzlies within a run, at 12-11
Braxton Meguiar lined a go-ahead double to score two runs, giving GGC a 13-12 lead
 
IU Kokomo Game
Bottom of First
Paul Winland Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Jon Ponder and open the scoring
 
Top of Third
Jacob Medvescek gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead with an RBI infield single
 
Bottom of Third
Zayd Brannigan collected a run-scoring single to give GGC a 3-2 advantage
 
Bottom of Fourth
Alex Harrell hustled for a triple to plate a pair of runs
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies registered 20 hits across Thursday's two games
• GGC successfully stole seven bases in the IU Kokomo contest
• Senior left hander Jeremiah Locklear struck out six batters in five strong innings in relief against IU Kokomo
• Eight different GGC pitchers appeared on Thursday's two games

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 7-1 in 2024; Indiana Wesleyan drops to 3-2 this spring; IU Kokomo falls to 2-7 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll; Indiana Wesleyan received votes in the same poll
• Thursday's win gave the team a 3-2 lead in the series with Indiana Wesleyan, with all of the previous meetings coming during the 2023 season; Thursday marked the first meeting with IU Kokomo
• GGC began a 17-game home stand on Thursday

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to close out the weekend set with games against Indiana Wesleyan University (at 2 p.m.) and IU Kokomo (at 6 p.m.) on Friday, February 14, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.