Georgia Gwinnett College senior starting pitcher Anthony Patterson III carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning as the top-seeded Grizzlies defeated No. 4 seed Fisher College (Massachusetts) 10-0 in seven innings to start the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament on Friday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The right hander had a perfect game through 5.2 innings. He finished the dominant outing by allowing just one hit – coming with two outs in the top of the seventh inning – and had nine strikeouts.

GGC (47-4) advances to the tournament's winner's bracket and will face No. 2 seed Spartanburg Methodist College (South Carolina) on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 10 a.m. Spartanburg Methodist collected a 13-3 victory against No. 3 seed Florida National University in Friday's other CAC first-round action.

A six-run second inning helped the Grizzlies pull away from the Falcons (25-24). Junior Tyler M. Martin and senior Kyle Norton opened the productive frame with RBI singles. Later, senior Scott Seeker brought home a pair of runs with a double down the right field line and senior Jackson Cobb added a run-scoring single up the middle.

A few innings later, senior Jon Ponder plated two runs with a single to center field. A bases-loaded walk to junior Alex Harrell gave the Grizzlies a 9-0 advantage in the fifth inning. Norton collected his second RBI single of the contest one inning later.

Norton went 2-for-3 at the plate to pace the team's seven-hit offensive attack. He also scored two runs and had two RBI. Cobb came home twice during the triumph.
 
Coach's Corner
"This was an outstanding way for us to get this tournament rolling, with a dominant performance on all sides of the baseball (pitching/hitting). Anthony (Patterson III) was electric on the mound and we stepped up and played elite defense behind him. We did a great job of staying aggressive at the plate to make innings open up for us offensively," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
Senior starting pitcher Anthony Patterson III nearly wrote his name in the GGC record book, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning and lost his no-hit bid when Fisher managed to get a single to center field with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. That's the only hit that Patterson allowed in the seven-inning shutout. GGC has had only one no hitter in program history.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of Second
Tyler M. Martin hit an RBI single to open the scoring
Kyle Norton collected a run-scoring single
Scott Seeker lined a two-run double down the right field line, extending GGC's lead to 5-0
Jackson Cobb capped the productive inning with a run-scoring single up the middle
 
Bottom of Fifth
Jon Ponder tallied a two-run single to center field, giving the Grizzlies an 8-0 advantage
Alex Harrell drew a bases-loaded walk to force in another run
 
Bottom of Sixth
Kyle Norton collected an RBI single to right field, scoring Joe Quelch for the team's 10th run of the contest
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies outhit Fisher by a 7-1 margin
• GGC successfully stole six bases in the triumph
• Senior Kyle Norton registered two hits, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs in the tournament opener
• Senior starting pitcher Anthony Patterson III struck out nine batters in the shutout

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 47-4 on the season; Fisher drops to 25-24 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 2 in the final regular season NAIA Top 25 poll
• The team is the top seed in the double-elimination tournament; Fisher is the No. 4 seed
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won five consecutive conference tournament titles

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College will play No. 2 seed Spartanburg Methodist College (South Carolina) on Saturday, May 3, in the winner's bracket of the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament. The game is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.