LEWISTON, Idaho – The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team is fighting for its postseason survival after a 15-9 loss to top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan University on Monday at the Avista NAIA World Series.
The No. 5-seeded Grizzlies (47-12) will play in a loser’s bracket game Tuesday, May 28, at either 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. pacific time against an opponent that’s still to be determined.
Tennessee Wesleyan (54-9) connected on three home runs to build a 15-3 advantage. Shamoy Christopher did most of the damage, hitting two homers among his three hits in four plate appearances.
GGC had taken a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning following RBI base hits from sophomore Cam Coursey and senior C.J. Ballard.
Then, Christopher sent the first of his two round trippers over the right field fence in the top of the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 3-2. One inning later, Anthony Williams connected on a grand slam to give the Bulldogs a 6-3 advantage.
Christopher hit a two-run home run during a six-run seventh inning.
The Grizzlies didn’t go down without a fight, scoring six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, with Nick Barnes hitting a grand slam home run over the left field fence. That followed run-scoring singles by pinch hitters Ali LaPread and Brandon Robinson.
GGC also loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning before a double play ended the game.
Turning Point
The Bulldogs hit three home runs, including a pair from Shamoy Christopher to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 9-3 lead by the seventh inning.
Key Plays
Bottom of Second
Cam Coursey hit a run-scoring single to bring home Nick Tanner to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead
C.J. Ballard lined a RBI single to left-center field to cap the team’s three-run inning
Top of Fourth
Shamoy Christopher hit a two-run home run to right field
Top of Fifth
Anthony Williams connected on a grand slam to give the Bulldogs a 6-3 lead
Top of Seventh
Shamoy Christopher hit his second home run of the game with a two-run blast to right field
Bottom of Eighth
Pinch hitter Ali LaPread hit a single that scored Nick Tanner
Pinch hitter Brandon Robinson followed with another single that scored Alex Garland
Nick Barnes hit a grand slam home run to closed the deficit to 15-9
Inside The Numbers
- Tennessee Wesleyan outhit GGC by a 17-to-11 margin
- Four pitchers for the Grizzlies issued 10 walks in the loss
- Senior C.J. Ballard, junior Gabe Austin and sophomores Nick Barnes and Cord Johnson each collected two hits for the Grizzlies
News & Notes
- GGC falls to 47-12 on the season; Tennessee Wesleyan improves to 55-9 in 2019
- Georgia Gwinnett College was the No. 5 seed in the 2019 Avista NAIA World Series bracket; Tennessee Wesleyan stood as the No. 1 seed in the double-elimination tournament
- The Grizzlies were ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season
- GGC is making its third trip to the Avista-NAIA World Series; the team advanced to the semifinal round of the 2018 series
- Georgia Gwinnett College is 7-1 in the postseason in 2019
- Tennessee Wesleyan tied the series history with six wins apiece, but has won three games against GGC this year
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College will play a loser’s bracket game Tuesday, May 28, at either 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. pacific time against an opponent that’s still to be determined.