The No. 2-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team fought off elimination at the Avista NAIA World Series by defeating No. 3 seed Tennessee Wesleyan University in a 5-3 game that went down to the action-packed last out on Wednesday afternoon in Lewiston, Idaho.

GGC (56-6) was victorious over the Bulldogs (48-14) for the second time in three days at the World Series, after picking up a 14-0 win in seven innings on Monday.

The Grizzlies are now scheduled to play on Thursday, May 29, at 3 p.m. pacific time in another rematch game against No. 6 seed Southeastern University (Florida) at Lewis-Clark State College's Harris Field.

Just like the prior postseason encounter, the Grizzlies pushed across two runs in the first inning. Junior Alex Harrell lined a run-scoring single up the middle to score senior Jon Ponder, who led off the game with a double. Senior Zayd Brannigan perfectly executed a safety squeeze bunt for the second run.

Later, senior Scott Seeker hit a two-out, two-run double down the left field line to give GGC a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning.

The Grizzlies used four pitchers to gain Wednesday's victory with senior right hander Brendan Moody starting the game by scattering three hits in 4.2 scoreless innings. Senior Wyatt Dodgens then recorded five outs before sophomore right hander Shane Anderson struck out two batters in tossing 2.1 innings to pick up the victory, improving his record to 5-1 for the season.

"Our pitching has been phenomenal. We knew that this was going to be a staff-day and each guy was going to have to do their part by hanging zeros and getting out of jams," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

That's precisely what happened as Tennessee Wesleyan trimmed GGC's lead in half, at 4-2, in the top of the sixth inning on a two-run double from Chris Catalano. The Bulldogs threatened an inning later by loading the bases, but Anderson got Brayan Espinoza to fly out to shallow right field to end the threat.

Ponder led off the bottom half of the frame with his 10th home run, with the blast to left field extending the Grizzlies' lead to 5-2.

"This game was about momentum. You have to play off the other side and battle for control with each pitch. We preach that to the players. They know they have to play the game within the game. Jon (Ponder) was just doing what the game was telling him there at that spot," stated Sheetinger.

The Bulldogs would threaten for a final time in the ninth inning as Jack Stevens lined a run-scoring single to center field. The team then proceeded to load the bases with two outs. GGC senior reliever Tyler E. Martin came in to secure the victory, getting Kruise Newman to line out to a leaping Ponder at the center field wall. The right hander posted his fifth save of the season.

The Bulldogs left 15 base runners in the contest, with several of them being in scoring position.

Harrell recorded seven put outs in right field, while junior Tyler M. Martin and Ponder each had three put outs from left and center field defensive positions, respectively.

"The whole team trusts each other. The pitchers trusted that the defense is going to make the plays behind them. We trusted the pitchers that they were going to execute," said Ponder, who went 2-for-4 and scored twice in the victory.

Senior Matthew Lee and Seeker also collected two hits for the Grizzlies.
 
Coach's Corner
"We've leaned on the toughness and the togetherness of this group all season. Those elements showed up again when we needed them the most. I believe that we have the best connected team here and this was a team win," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
Senior Jon Ponder led off the seventh inning with a home run that gave GGC a 5-2 lead. The center fielder would also track down a fly ball to record the 27th and final out of the contest as Tennessee Wesleyan's Kruise Newman put the ball in play with the bases loaded and two outs and GGC holding the two-run advantage.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of First
Alex Harrell hit a run-scoring single up the middle to open the scoring
Zayd Brannigan hustled for an infield single on a safety squeeze bunt, giving GGC a 2-0 lead
 
Bottom of Fifth
Scott Seeker lined a two-run double down the left field line, with two outs, to extend the lead to 4-0
 
Bottom of Seventh
Jon Ponder led off the frame with his 10th home run of the season, giving GGC a 3-0 lead
 
Top of Ninth
Jack Stevens hit an RBI single to center field to bring the Bulldogs within two runs, at 5-3
Tyler E. Martin got Kruise Newman to fly out to Jon Ponder in center field to secure the victory
 
Inside The Numbers

• Tennessee Wesleyan outhit the Grizzlies by an 11-10 margin
• Senior Jon Ponder hit his 10th home run of the season on Wednesday
• The Bulldogs left 15 base runners in the contest
• Junior Alex Harrell recorded seven putouts from his right field defensive position

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 56-6 in 2025; Tennessee Wesleyan concludes the 2025 season with a 48-14 record
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 2 in the final regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Tennessee Wesleyan stood No. 3 in the same poll
• The team was the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Avista NAIA World Series bracket; Tennessee Wesleyan stood as the No. 3 seed
• GGC now leads the series with the Bulldogs 15-13 and defeated Tennessee Wesleyan for the second time at the 2025 Avista NAIA World Series

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to play another elimination game against No. 6 seed Southeastern University (Florida) on Thursday, May 29, at the Avista NAIA World Series, from Lewiston, Idaho, starting at 3 p.m. pacific time.