The No. 4-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team benefitted from productive middle inning offensive production to sweep a road doubleheader by commanding 13-8 and 17-1 scores against Middle Georgia State University on Saturday in Cochran, Georgia.

The Grizzlies (23-3) plated six runs in the fourth inning of the opener before scoring seven runs during the fifth inning of the weekend series finale. GGC outscored MGSU (14-13) 37-10 in sweeping the three-game set which commenced Friday's game in Lawrenceville.

Senior Kyle Norton drove in five runs to lead the balanced offensive attack in Saturday's first contest. He drove in a pair of runs with a double to start the third inning, giving the visitors a 5-3 lead.

Senior Scott Seeker connected on a go-ahead two-run home run beyond the right field fence one inning later. His second homer of the season gave GGC a 7-5 advantage. Junior Grant Pohlman added a run-scoring single before Norton drove in a run on an RBI ground out to cap a six-run fourth inning.

Junior reliever Jaxon Dennis struck out four batters in 2.1 innings to pick up his first victory of the season.

In the nightcap, GGC broke open a 2-1 contest by scoring three runs in the fourth inning before using a strong fifth inning grabbed a 12-1 lead. Norton's run-scoring single to left-center field came in the fourth frame. He later scored following a single by senior Jon Ponder and a fielding error.

Later, senior Matthew Lee opened the seven-run fifth inning with an RBI double. Classmate Sam Seeker brought home a pair of runs with a single that extended GGC's advantage to 8-1. Ponder added an RBI double before the team's big inning was capped by two consecutive walks with the bases loaded and a run-scoring ground out.

Three pitchers combined to allow just two hits while striking out 15 batters. Senior starting pitcher Cade Carlson recorded six strikeouts and sophomore Shane Anderson tossed three scoreless innings to go along with five strikeouts to improve his record to 3-1 this season. Junior Andrew Johnson capped the strong pitching performance by keeping the Knights off the scoreboard across the final two frames.

Ponder scored four runs and went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot in GGC's batting order. Lee tallied two hits and drove in three runs, while Sam Seeker had two hits and scored three runs. Norton registered multiple hits in both games on Saturday.
 
Coach's Corner
"We did a really good job of taking what the game was giving us. I liked the way the guys competed all day. Kyle (Norton) truly understands his and how he can contribute. The pitchers did a good job of attacking their hitters and took the attitude of our offense out to the mound. When we get ahead in the count, we're able to get the results we want," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
The fourth inning proved to be a turning point in GGC's favor during both games, plating six runs in Saturday's opener to break a 5-5 deadlock. Then, the nightcap had the team scoring three times in the fourth frame to grab a decisive 5-1 advantage.
 
Key Plays
First Game
Top of Second
Braxton Meguiar hit a run-scoring single to right field that gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
Alex Harrell followed with an RBI double to cap the three-run frame
 
Top of Third
Kyle Norton added a two-run double down the left field line, giving GGC a 5-3 advantage
 
Top of Fourth
Scott Seeker connected on a go-ahead two-run home run over the right field fence to give the visitors a 7-5 lead
Grant Pohlman tallied a run-scoring single
Kyle Norton hit an RBI ground out to third base that plated Zayd Brannigan to extend the team's lead to 11-5
 
Second Game
Top of First
Jackson Cobb drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring for the visitors
 
Top of Fourth
Kyle Norton hit a run-scoring single to left-center field that plated Sam Seeker
Braxton Meguiar added an RBI ground out to first base for a 5-1 GGC lead
 
Top of Fifth
Matthew Lee hit a run-scoring double to begin the productive inning
Sam Seeker followed with a two-run RBI single
Jon Ponder lined an RBI double to plate the team's ninth run of the contest
 
Top of Sixth
Alex Harrell hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield to give the Grizzlies a commanding 14-1 lead
Zayd Brannigan tallied a run-scoring single to plate Joe Mrowiec for the team's 17th run of the game
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC registered 21 hits across Saturday's doubleheader sweep
• The Grizzlies combined to score nine runs over the fourth and fifth innings of each game
• Senior Jon Ponder scored four of his five runs for the day during the second contest
• Three pitchers combined to allow two hits and posted 15 strikeouts in the nightcap

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 23-3 on the season; Middle Georgia State falls to 14-13 in 2025
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 4 in the first regular-season NAIA Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College leads the series with Middle Georgia State by a 15-8 margin
• The team now stands 4-2 on the road this spring

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play Spartanburg Methodist College (South Carolina) on Tuesday, March 18, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a single game, starting at 4 p.m.