Four pitchers combined to toss a one-hitter as the No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team opened a weekend series with a 7-0 victory against Montreat College (North Carolina) on Friday evening at Gwinnett Field, home of the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Stripers.

Senior starting pitcher Shane Anderson, the reigning NAIA National Pitcher of the Week, recorded six strikeouts and surrendered the Cavaliers' lone hit in the fifth inning. The right hander improved to 2-0 for the season.

Senior reliever Max Miller tossed two-hitless frames before classmate Christian Johnson retired all three batters during a scoreless eighth inning. Junior Peyton Castellow threw a scoreless ninth inning during his first relief appearance of the season.

Anderson got out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs to keep the game scoreless in the third inning. He got a fly out to shallow right field before a double play ended the frame. Montreat once again loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning before Anderson got a strikeout.

"We always talk about getting the ball of momentum in our corner. The guys in the dugout had my back and I didn't want to let them down. I competed the best I could," said Anderson.
The team's pitching staff has not allowed a run over the past 18 innings.

Offensively, the Grizzlies (22-2) broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating five runs. Junior third baseman Braden Smith drove in two runs with a single through the left side of the infield. He later scored following a wild pitch before freshman center fielder Vick Gann lined an RBI double to right-center field, giving GGC a 4-0 lead. Junior second baseman Payton Fort capped the productive frame with a sacrifice fly to center field.

"We (the hitters) are always talking about the sequence from the pitchers or what we see to help others make some adjustments. We finally got to (the opposing starting pitcher) in the fourth," said Fort.

Junior right fielder Jay O'Neill hit a run-scoring single to left field to give the team a 7-0 lead in the seventh inning. He led the 11-hit offensive attack by going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Eight other players had hits throughout the Grizzlies' batting order.
 


Coach's Corner
"Shane executed pitches to shut the door when (opposing) runners were on third base. Offensively, we executed the game plan and adjusted well throughout the game. One of the big plays in the fourth inning was a hit-and-run. It was a really cool experience to play at a venue like this [Gwinnett Field]. At the end of the day, the game of baseball doesn't change," said Head Coach Tommy Goodale.
 
Turning Point
Senior starting pitcher Shane Anderson got out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third inning by recording a fly out to shallow right field and inducing a ground ball into a double play that kept the game scoreless. GGC scored five runs a few innings later, with junior third baseman Braden Smith starting the rally by driving in a pair of runs with a single.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of Fourth
Braden Smith hit a two-run single through the left side of the infield
Braden Smith scored following a wild pitch, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead
Payton Fort added a sacrifice fly to cap a five-run frame
 
Bottom of Seventh
Payton Fort scored on a passed ball
Jay O'Neill hit an RBI single to left field that plated the team's seventh run of the contest
 
Inside The Numbers 

• GGC outhit Montreat by an 11-1 margin on Friday
• Junior right fielder Jay O'Neill went 2-for-3 with a run scored
• Four pitchers combined to record 12 strikeouts in the shutout
• The Grizzlies have posted back-to-back nine-inning shutouts, allowing six hits combined across both games

News & Notes 

• GGC improves to 22-2 on the season; Montreat is now 20-7 in 2026
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 2 in the first regular season NAIA Top 25 poll; Montreat received votes in the same poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won five of the six games in the all-time series
• Friday's game was played at Gwinnett Field, home of the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Stripers

Up Next 
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the series against Montreat College (North Carolina) with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14, at Gwinnett Field in Lawrenceville, starting at 1 p.m. A seven-inning game will start the day, followed by a nine-inning contest. The three-game series is being played at the home of the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Stripers.