The No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team hit eight home runs and scored runs in 11 of 14 innings while sweeping Saturday's doubleheader at Spartanburg Methodist College by 26-6 and 13-0 scores in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Grizzlies (37-4) scored 51 runs in the series sweep and pushed across a run in 17 of the 25 offensive innings.

Senior catcher Grant Pohlman connected on a pair of two-run home runs in consecutive innings, giving the visitors a commanding 7-1 lead in the top of the third inning of the opening game. He added a two-run double in the sixth inning as he drove in six runs and went 3-for-4 in the contest.

GGC scored four runs in the sixth inning after Spartanburg Methodist (19-21) got within four runs, at 9-5, after a four-run fifth inning. The team carried over its offensive momentum by putting 13 runs on the scoreboard in the seventh inning. Junior designated hitter Lance Bratlien connected on a three-run home run to jumpstart the productive inning. The homer came after run-scoring base hits from junior shortstop Peyton Watts and junior center fielder Jay O'Neill.

Later, senior pinch hitter Coleman Willis collected an RBI single before senior pinch hitter Jake Cothran drove in two runs to plate the team's 25th run of the contest.

The Grizzlies scored in their first four innings, including multiple runs across the first three frames. Watts opened the scoring with a two-run double before junior left fielder Trey Smith collected a run-scoring single that gave GGC a quick 3-0 advantage. Junior first baseman Jackson Legg hit a two-run home run to cap the six-run first inning.

Watts legged out an RBI triple before scoring on a base hit from Smith during the second inning. Junior second baseman Payton Fort added a run-scoring double and a single by Watts in the third inning stretched the lead to 10-0.

Junior pinch hitter Kyle Phin hit a solo homer during the fourth inning and sophomore Tyler Schuyleman came off the bench to open the sixth inning with a home run in his first career hit. Willis also hit his first career homer with a solo blast later in the frame.

Watts combined to go 6-for-8, with seven RBI, and five runs scored on the day. Fort registered a pair of hits from the leadoff spot in the batting order across both contests. Bratlien had three hits and scored four times in Saturday's opener.
 
Coach's Corner
"I am really proud of how the group approached the opportunity that today's games presented them. From the first pitch of Peyton Fort's home run to the last inning the group was relentless at the plate. These wins cap off a great week of hard work. We took another step in the right direction," said Head Coach Tommy Goodale.
 
Turning Point
In Saturday's first contest, the Grizzlies answered Spartanburg Methodist's four-run fifth inning to plate four runs in the top of the sixth inning. Junior center fielder Jay O'Neill hit an RBI triple before senior catcher Grant Pohlman brought home a pair of runs with a double. The quick response gave the Grizzlies a 13-5 advantage.
 
Key Plays
First Game
Top of First
Payton Fort led off the game with his seventh homer of the season
 
Top of Second
Grant Pohlman connected on a two-run home run, giving GGC a 3-1 lead
Payton Fort hit an RBI double to center field
JJ Garcia followed with a run-scoring single
 
Top of Third
Grant Pohlman hit his second two-run home run of the game, extending the Grizzlies' lead to 7-1
 
Top of Fourth
Peyton Watts legged out an RBI double
Lance Bratlien added another run-scoring double
 
Top of Sixth
Jay O'Neill hit an RBI triple to give the visitors a 10-5 lead
Grant Pohlman continued his strong offensive day with a two-run double
 
Top of Seventh
Lance Bratlien connected on a three-run home run, extending GGC's lead to 19-6
Kyle Phin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded
Braden Smith followed with another hit by pitch to score another run
Coleman Willis tallied an RBI single to right field
Chris Tillery drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the team's 23rd run of the game
Jake Cothran collected a two-run double as part of a 13-run frame
 
Second Game
Top of First
Peyton Watts brought home a pair of runs with a double
Trey Smith hit a run-scoring single
Jackson Legg connected on a two-run home run to give the Grizzlies a 6-0 lead
 
Top of Second
Peyton Watts collected an RBI triple that brought home JJ Garcia
Trey Smith followed with a run-scoring single to left-center field, extending the lead to 8-0
 
Top of Third
Payton Fort legged out an RBI double
Peyton Watts tallied a run-scoring single to plate the team's 10th run of the contest
 
Top of Fourth
Kyle Phin hit a pinch-hit solo home run that gave GGC an 11-0 advantage
 
Top of Sixth
Tyler Schuyleman came off the bench to hit a leadoff home run
Coleman Willis added another pinch-hit solo blast
 
Inside The Numbers 

• The Grizzlies tallied 38 hits across Saturday's doubleheader sweep
• GGC hit four home runs in each contest
• Junior shortstop Peyton Watts went 6-for-8, with seven RBI, and five runs scored
• Five pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts in the series finale

News & Notes 

• GGC improves to 37-4 on the season; Spartanburg Methodist drops to 19-21 in 2026
• The Grizzlies are ranked No. 2 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College now leads the all-time series with the Pioneers by a 7-0 margin
• The team scored 74 runs across the last four games, including a pair of 20 run games

Up Next 
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the five-game road swing with a single nine-inning contest against Milligan University on Tuesday, April 14, in Elizabethon, Tennessee, starting at 3 p.m.