Strong pitching and defense joined with an opportunistic offensive effort to lead the No. 3-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team to a 9-8 road triumph against No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan University in an outcome that went down to last out on Tuesday afternoon in Athens, Tennessee.

The Grizzlies (28-3) used a pair of three-run innings, including three runs in the final frame to build a 9-5 advantage.

GGC benefited from 11 walks and three other hitters were hit by pitches. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (24-8) also committed five defensive errors.

Two runs came home for the visitors in the ninth inning following a throwing error after an infield single by senior Paul Winland Jr. A fielding error allowed another run to score.

On the other hand, GGC senior starting pitcher Anthony Patterson III struck out eight batters across strong 6.2 innings. He allowed three home runs, each leading off an inning, in the starting performance. The right hander scattered nine hits to improve his record to 3-1 on the season.

"Anthony (Patterson III) did an outstanding job of bending and not breaking, allowing single runs in four of his seven innings. That kept momentum on our side while we scratched across multiple runs in three separate innings. That was the difference in the game," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

The Grizzly defense turned three doubles plays, including two to limit Tennessee Wesleyan scoring opportunities in the first and third innings.

"The sinker was really working well, and I pitched to contact while letting my defense work behind me," said Patterson III. "It is a huge confidence boost when you get a ground ball and it turns into two outs (from double plays)."

The biggest double play of the game came as Tennessee Wesleyan threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning. After trailing 9-5, the hosts scored twice and loaded the bases with no outs. However, senior reliever Tyler E. Martin got a ground ball to senior shortstop Jackson Cobb, who started a crucial double play. The reliever then struck out Kruise Newman with the potential game-tying run at third base to secure the one-run victory.

Martin also minimized a potential big inning for the hosts in the eighth with runners at second and third base. This time the right hander struck out Kurtis Reid to keep GGC in front by a single run, at 6-5.

GGC took a 3-1 lead in the third inning when Winland Jr. hit a sacrifice fly and senior Kyle Norton drew a bases-loaded walk.

Later, junior Tyler M. Martin connected on a three-run homer to extend the Grizzlies' lead to 6-2 in the fifth inning.

Then, came the pivotal top of the ninth inning for the Grizzly offense. Senior Scott Seeker opened the frame with a double and was followed by Cobb getting hit by a pitch. That brought Winland Jr. to the plate in a crucial run-scoring situation.

"They had given us a couple of free bases (walks) and we needed to do our part to create runs. Paul knew exactly what his role was at that point. We turned in our best at-bats of the game at the end," stated Sheetinger.

A wild throw down the right field line following Winland Jr.'s infield single allowed junior pitch runner Daniel Stephens and Cobb to score. A fielding error during the next at-bat allowed Winland Jr. to score for the team's 9-5 lead.

"I literally practiced bunting in that exact situation in practice on Monday and I had confidence that the work done in practice would work in the game," said Winland Jr., who collected two of GGC's six hits in the triumph. "I knew that once I got the bunt down, I had done my job. Getting on base was the icing on top of everything."
 
Coach's Corner
"I love the fact that this team answered the bell this time (after losing at No. 6-ranked Reinhardt two weeks ago). The toughest team was going to win this game. We took the lessons learned from (the Reinhardt game) and put our best foot forward today. We played great defense, pitched well and did just enough offensively," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
Tennessee Wesleyan threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning by trimming a 9-5 deficit in half and loading the bases with no outs. Senior reliever Tyler E. Martin got a critical double play – GGC's third of the contest. Then, the right hander struck out the next batter to keep the potential game-tying run stranded at third base. The team had scored three runs in the top half of the ninth inning.
 
Key Plays
Top of Second
A fielding error allowed Tyler M. Martin to score, tying the contest at 1-1
 
Top of Third
Paul Winland Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Scott Seeker
Kyle Norton drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 3-1
 
Bottom of Fourth
Kolton Reynolds led off the frame with a home run to left field
 
Top of Fifth
Tyler M. Martin connected on a three-run home run to center field, giving the visitors a 6-2 advantage
 
Bottom of Seventh
Corbin Shaw opened the inning with a home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 6-4
 
Bottom of Eighth
Tyler E. Martin struck out Kurtis Reid with runners at second and third base to maintain a one-run lead, at 6-5
 
Top of Ninth
A throwing error by the Bulldogs on an infield single by Paul Winland Jr. allowed two runs to score
Another error allowed an additional run, scoring GGC a 9-5 lead
 
Bottom of Ninth
A run was scored while GGC's middle infielders turned a double play, trimming the team's lead to 9-8
 
Inside The Numbers

• Tennessee Wesleyan outhit the Grizzlies by a 13-5 margin
• The Grizzlies drew 11 walks and were hit by a pitch on three occasions
• Senior starting pitcher Anthony Patterson III struck out eight batters across 6.2 innings
• GGC turned three double plays in Tuesday's victory

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 28-3 this spring; Tennessee Wesleyan drops to 24-8 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll; Tennessee Wesleyan stood No. 2 in the same poll
• Tuesday's win evens the series with Tennessee Wesleyan at 13 wins apiece
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won eight straight games

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to No. 8 William Carey University on Friday, March 28, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, starting at 7 p.m. That will start a three-game weekend series.