The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team bounced back from a loss earlier on Wednesday to post a double-digit victory and advance to the championship round of the NAIA Opening Round's Lawrenceville Bracket.

The top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Grizzlies (51-5) defeated No. 5 seed Saint Xavier University (Illinois) by a 16-5 score in eight innings after dropping a 7-4 contest to No. 2 seed Keiser University (Florida) in the first of three games at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

That means GGC will need to defeat Keiser twice in the championship round on Thursday, May 15. The first game is scheduled at 11 a.m.

OPENING ROUND CENTRAL

The winner of the double-elimination tournament will advance to the Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.

In the nightcap of Wednesday's action, the tournament hosts scored eight runs in the seventh inning to pull away from the Cougars, which advanced with a dramatic 9-8 victory over No. 3 seed Talladega College (Alabama). The Illinois team scored seven runs in the last three innings for the comeback victory.

The Grizzlies jumped out a 3-0 advantage in the top of the first inning against Saint Xavier. Junior Alex Harrell hit a sacrifice fly to open the scoring. Senior Scott Seeker followed with a run-scoring single before scoring following a wild pitch.

The team broke open the game by scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Junior Tyler M. Martin hit a run-scoring single before Ponder collected a sacrifice fly to right field. Senior Braxton Meguiar capped the productive inning with an RBI single, giving GGC a 6-2 advantage.

One inning later, Jon Ponder tallied a single to drive in two runs for the team's 11th run of the contest. Harrell added an RBI single later in the frame.

Ponder went 2-for-4, drove in four runs and scored two additional runs to lead GGC's 13-hit offensive attack. Seeker and Martin each registered three hits in the triumph.

In Wednesday's opener, Seeker connected on a three-run homer in the fourth inning to give GGC a 3-1 advantage. However, the Seahawks (37-15) came back with a big inning of their own, scoring five runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-3 lead.

Reece Collins legged out an RBI triple to give Keiser a 4-3 advantage. Matthew Nichols drove in two runs with a single up the middle.
 
Coach's Corner
"We're comfortable being in this situation (after coming back to win last year's Lawrenceville Bracket) and know what we've got to do to get the job done. We've just got to play Grizzly Baseball like we know we can. That means playing each pitch and each inning with everything we've got," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
GGC's offense broke through for the first time in the tournament behind an eight-run seventh inning in Wednesday's nightcap. The Grizzlies scored double digits for the first time in the tournament.
 
Key Plays
Keiser Game
Top of Fourth
Scott Seeker connected on a three-run home run to give GGC a 3-1 lead
 
Bottom of Sixth
Edbarry Guzman hit a run-scoring single to tie the contest, at 3-3
Reece Collins legged out an RBI triple
Matthew Nichols added a two-run single up the middle to cap a five-run frame, giving the Seahawks a 7-3 lead
 
Saint Xavier Game
Top of First
Alex Harrell opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field
Scott Seeker followed with an RBI single as part of a three-run frame
 
Top of Sixth
Tyler M. Martin hit a run-scoring single to center field
Jon Ponder tallied a sacrifice fly to right field, extending GGC's lead to 5-2
Braxton Meguiar collected an RBI single
 
Top of Seventh
Jon Ponder lined a two-run single up the middle to give the Grizzlies an 11-2 advantage
Alex Harrell hit an RBI single during an eight-run frame
 
Top of Eighth
Jon Ponder legged out a double to score Tyler M. Martin for the team's 16th run of the contest
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies registered 23 hits across Wednesday's two games
• Senior Jon Ponder went 2-for-4, with four RBI, and scored two runs against Saint Xavier
• GGC successfully stole eight bases in the nightcap

News & Notes

• GGC is 51-5 this spring; Keiser improves to 37-15 on the season; Saint Xavier concluded the season with a 33-24 record
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 2 in the final regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Keiser received votes in the same poll
• GGC was the top seed in the five-team Lawrenceville Bracket; Keiser stood as the No. 2 seed; Saint Xavier was the No. 5 seed

Up Next
Top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Keiser University (Florida) in the championship round of the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket on Thursday, May 15, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 11 a.m. The Grizzlies will need to win twice to advance to this year's Avista NAIA World Series.