COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team used a pair of six-run innings Saturday to complete a three-game series sweep against Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). The Grizzlies won the opener 6-5 before a 15-5 victory in the second contest extended the team’s winning streak to 14 games.
GGC (36-8) broke a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning when sophomore Cord Johnson successfully laid down a bunt to score senior Brody Wofford with the winning run in the first game. Freshman reliever Alec Kliphouse tossed three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory.
The Grizzlies took a 5-2 lead behind a four-run third inning. A home run by freshman Ali LaPread opened the frame and tied the game, 2-2. Senior C.J. Ballard followed with a run-scoring single. Wofford added a sacrifice fly, while senior Onassis Matos hit a RBI single for the fifth run of the game.
Lindsey Wilson got two runs back in the fifth inning before tying the game, 5-5, in the seventh inning. That’s when Kliphouse entered the game and held the Blue Raiders off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, GGC opened the second game with six runs in the first inning. Six more runs were added in the fifth inning as Wofford connected on a three-run home run.
Sophomore Nick Tanner and Wofford each collected three hits to pace the Grizzlies’ 17-hit attack in the contest. Junior Gabe Austin and sophomores Cam Coursey and Cord Johnson also had two hits in the victory.
Junior pitcher Hunter Dollander tossed four innings to pick up the victory in his first starting assignment after recovering from an injury.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies used small ball to score the eventual game-winning run in the first game. Sophomore Cord Johnson successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring home senior Brody Wofford in the eighth inning. That run gave the visitors a 6-5 lead, which held up as the final score.
Key Plays
First Game
Cam Coursey opened the game with a home run
Top of Third
Ali LaPread tied the game, 2-2, with a leadoff home run
C.J. Ballard hit a run-scoring single to give the Grizzlies a 3-2 lead
Brody Wofford connected on a sacrifice fly to bring home the third of four runs in the inning
Onassis Matos had a RBI single to score Gabe Austin
Top of Eighth
Cord Johnson hit a sacrifice bunt to bring home Brody Wofford for the game-winning run
Second Game
Top of First
Nick Barnes brought home the first of six runs in the inning with a RBI single
Gabe Austin gave the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead with a run-scoring single
Nick Tanner’s single added a pair of runs
Top of Fifth
Brody Wofford connected on a three-run home run during the six-run inning
Top of Seventh
Onassis Matos hit a RBI double to give GGC a 14-4 advantage
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies recorded 27 hits in the doubleheader sweep
- Sophomore Cam Coursey went 4-for-9, with four runs scored, between the two games
- GGC hit three home runs to increase the season total to 44
- The team scored 40 runs in the three-game series sweep
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 36-8 on the season; Lindsey Wilson falls to 7-28 in 2019
- Georgia Gwinnett College is No. 4 in the NAIA Top 25 poll
- GGC leads the all-time series history, winning 12 of 15 meetings
- The Grizzlies have won 14 straight games
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 8 Middle Georgia State University on Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.