The No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team collected an impressive 10-5 home triumph against No. 24 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Georgia) on Tuesday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (31-3) jumped out to a 5-0 lead through three innings.

Junior left fielder Trey Smith opened the scoring with an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the opening frame. Junior center fielder Jay O'Neill added a run-scoring single to right field before junior designated hitter Lance Bratlien hit a sacrifice fly to left field, giving the hosts a 3-0 advantage.

Smith brought home another run with ground out to shortstop during the third inning. Bratlien collected an RBI single later in the frame.

GGC answered each of Abraham Baldwin's (25-12) tallies with a run or two of its own in the next half inning.

Senior catcher Grant Pohlman connected on a solo homer during the fourth inning.

Junior pinch hitter Braden Smith executed a squeeze bunt to plate another run one inning later.

The Stallions got within two runs, at 7-5, following a two-run single from Zack Bowman in the top of the seventh inning.

However, GGC had an answer right away.

Pohlman hit a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield in the bottom half of the seventh inning. Junior second baseman Payton Fort tallied an RBI single before junior shortstop Peyton Watts stole home on the back end of a double steal attempt. The three-run seventh inning gave the hosts a 10-5 lead that stood up for the rest of the game.

Junior third baseman JJ Garcia went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Watts added a pair of hits and scored three times. Fort and Pohlman each added two hits.

GGC outhit Abraham Baldwin by a 14-8 margin in the contest.

Senior starting pitcher Christian Johnson struck out six batters and allowed three runs across five innings, improving his record to 3-1 on the season. Senior reliever Max Miller tossed a scoreless eighth inning before Bratlien retired all three batters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning.


 
Coach's Corner
"We scored in six of the eight innings, stuck to our approach and didn't try to do too much. The game had an Opening Round (tournament game) feel. It was important that we answered their offensive innings with a run or two of our own in the bottom half. Our offense, pitching and defense showed up today," said Head Coach Tommy Goodale.
 
Turning Point
The Grizzlies had an answer each time Abraham Baldwin pushed across a run in the matchup of NAIA ranked teams. Senior catcher Grant Pohlman connected on a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the hosts a 6-2 lead. Junior pinch hitter Braden Smith executed a squeeze bunt in the fifth inning. GGC pushed across three runs in the seventh inning after the Stallions had cut the deficit to 7-5.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of First
Trey Smith hit a run-scoring single through the right side of the infield
Jay O'Neill added an RBI single, extending the lead to 2-0
Lance Bratlien tallied a sacrifice fly to left field to cap the early run production
 
Bottom of Third
Trey Smith collected an RBI ground out to shortstop
Lance Bratlien lined a run-scoring single to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage
 
Bottom of Fourth
Grant Pohlman connected on a solo home run to left field
 
Top of Seventh
Zach Bowman hit a two-run single up the middle, bringing the Stallions within two runs, at 7-5
 
Bottom of Seventh
Grant Pohlman lined an RBI single through the left side of the infield, giving GGC an 8-5 lead
Payton Fort tallied a run-scoring single
Peyton Watts successfully stole home to plate the team's 10th run of the contest
 
Inside The Numbers 

• The Grizzlies outhit Abraham Baldwin by a 14-8 margin
• Senior right hander Christian Johnson recorded six of the pitching staff's nine strikeouts in the contest
• GGC successfully stole eight bases on Tuesday
• The top three hitters in GGC lineup went 7-for-13 and scored five runs

News & Notes 

• GGC improves to 31-3 in 2026; Abraham Baldwin falls to 31-3 on the season
• The Grizzlies are ranked No. 2 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll; Abraham Baldwin stood No. 24 in the same poll
• Tuesday marked the first meeting between the two in-state schools
• The Grizzlies are 3-1 in midweek games this season, with all three victories coming against ranked opposition

Up Next 
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 5 Johnson University (Tennessee) on Friday, April 3, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 5 p.m.