Dominant pitching performances led the No. 3-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team to a sweep of Saturday's doubleheader at Warner University (Florida) by 7-2 and 5-2 scores in Lake Wales, Florida. The victories secured the three-game road series victory.

Junior starting pitcher Austin Testerman recorded 10 strikeouts across seven strong innings in the day's opener.

Later, senior right hander Brendan Moody struck out seven batters in 4.2 innings of his Grizzly debut. Junior relievers Coleman Willis and Jaxon Dennis got the visitors through the middle innings of the finale, with Dennis striking out four batters in two scoreless frames.

Senior lefty Jeremiah Locklear added two more punch outs as the Royals (2-2) brought the potential game-tying run to the plate with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of the second game.

GGC (5-1) recorded 26 strikeouts and combined to allow eight hits and four runs combined on the day.

The Grizzlies jumped out to early leads in both games, plating two runs in the opening frame of the opener. Senior Sam Seeker hit a sacrifice fly to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

"Getting a couple of early runs set the tone for the (first) game. It helped us breathe and become more comfortable," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger after Warner opened the weekend with a victory on Friday night.

A few innings later, senior Matthew Lee lined a run-scoring double to left field to score classmate Kyle Norton. Lee went 4-for-5 at the plate to lead GGC's offensive attack in the first game.

Junior Alex Harrell collected a run-scoring double during the fourth inning before later scoring on a passed ball to stretch the lead to 5-0. Then, senior Jon Ponder hit another double for the Grizzlies that scored two runs in the ninth inning.

In the second contest, Harrell tallied an RBI double as part of a two-run first inning. The lead grew to 4-0 after senior Paul Winland Jr. lined a run-scoring single in the third inning before freshman Jacob Bohacek added a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

Warner got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fifth inning, scoring a pair of unearned runs. A double by Bryan Belo cut GGC's lead in half, at 4-2.

Moody turned the ball to three relievers to close out the series-clinching victory. Willis tossed 1.2 hitless innings before two flawless innings from Dennis. Locklear picked up his first save of the 2025 campaign.

"Walking into a ballgame as a reliever and the score being 5-2 it is important to hold the rope," stated Sheetinger. "Coleman (Willis) did a fantastic job of getting us out of the (fifth) inning and hold off their momentum. Jeremiah (Locklear) was ready for the moment. It was a huge lift for him, but also a huge lift for us."
 
Coach's Corner
"Resolve was the word of the day. We challenged the guys to bounce back and to play Grizzly baseball. I'm so proud of the resolve and character that the players showed. Obviously, the pitchers led the charge and did an outstanding job of competing against their hitters and throwing multiple pitches for strikes. This group showed a lot of character," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
Strong pitching led the Grizzlies to sweep Saturday's doubleheader and win the road series – the first of the 2025 season. Junior starter Austin Testerman recorded 10 strikeouts across seven strong innings in the opener. Then, senior Brendan Moody had seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings as the team registered 14 punch outs in the rubber game of the series. GGC pitchers allowed just eight hits and four runs on Saturday.
 
Key Plays
First Game
Top of First
Zayd Brannigan reached on a fielding error by the Warner shortstop with the bases loaded, allowing Braxton Meguiar to score
Sam Seeker hit a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
 
Top of Third
Matthew Lee lined a run-scoring double to left field that brought home Kyle Norton
 
Top of Fourth
Alex Harrell collected a run-scoring double to left field to extend GGC's lead to 4-0
 
Top of Ninth
Jon Ponder hit a double to plate two runs and give the Grizzlies a 7-1 advantage
 
Second Game
Top of First
Alex Harrell connected on an RBI double to open the scoring
Jackson Cobb added another run-scoring double to plate the second run of the frame
 
Top of Third
Paul Winland Jr. lined a single to left field to score Alex Harrell
 
Top of Fourth
Jacob Bohacek hit a sacrifice fly to give the Grizzlies a 4-0 lead
 
Bottom of Fifth
Bryan Belo legged out an RBI double to cut the lead in half, at 4-2
 
Top of Eighth
Paul Winland Jr. added a sacrifice fly to score Braxton Meguiar for the team's fifth run of the game
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies tallied 13 hits across Saturday's doubleheader
• GGC recorded nine stolen bases, led by six steals in the first game
• Junior starting pitcher Austin Testerman struck out 10 batters in Saturday's first contest
• Senior catcher Matthew Lee went 4-for-5 at the plate, including a double, in the opener

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 5-1 this spring; Warner drops to 2-2 in 2024
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll
• The team's pitching staff registered 26 strikeouts in sweeping Saturday's doubleheader
• GGC played its first road games of the 2025 season

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Indiana University Kokomo and Indiana University on Friday, February 14, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 2 p.m.