Georgia Gwinnett College Athletics

Champions Rise to the Top

For the third consecutive season, the Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies are the Association of Independent Institutions' softball tournament champions after defeating Edward Waters College (Fla.) 9-0 in six innings on Saturday at the Grizzly Softball Complex.

The top-seeded Grizzlies (39-14) outscored their three tournament opponents by a 28-to-1 margin, including two wins over the Tigers, to capture the title.

GGC advances to play in the NAIA tournament's Opening Round, which it will host May 13-15.

Georgia Gwinnett College scored three unearned runs in the first inning to grab a quick lead. Freshman Sydney Pelaez drove in a pair of runs to spark the early offense.

The lead grew to 5-0 one inning later following a RBI double from junior Sydney Willhite. The team added four runs in the sixth inning to secure the victory. Senior Tori Robinson connected on a home run, while senior Crystal Busbee and sophomore Madison Martin added base hits to score runs.



Junior RaeQuinn Rossetti was named the 2019 A.I.I. Championship Most Outstanding Player after going 3-for-4, with two runs and four steals, in Saturday's victory. She went 7-for-11 at the top of GGC's lineup during the tournament.

Senior pitcher Taylor Hansis picked up her third win of the tournament, striking out six Tigers in Saturday's complete-game victory. Hansis joined Willhite and Busbee on the A.I.I. all-tournament team.