LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team collected 13 hits and senior Gregory Loukinen struck out 12 opposing hitters as the No. 4-ranked Grizzlies won their 10th straight game with an 8-1 victory against William Carey University (Miss.) on Tuesday night at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.
Sophomore Livingston Morris led GGC’s offensive attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Senior C.J. Ballard and sophomore Cam Coursey each added two hits. Coursey drove in three runs in the victory.
GGC (32-8) scored four runs in the fourth inning to grab a 5-1 lead. Senior Brandon Robinson hit a two-run triple to give the Grizzlies a 3-1 advantage. A sacrifice fly from Coursey and a wild pitch allowed two more runs to score in the inning.
The Grizzlies added two more runs in the sixth inning to build a 7-1 lead.
That’s all Loukinen needed to earn his eighth victory of the spring with a season-best 12 strikeouts. The lefthander limited the Crusaders to two hits across seven innings. Junior Hunter Dollander closed out the game by pitching a perfect ninth inning in his first mound appearance since suffering an injury.
Coach’s Corner
“We executed well and Greg (Loukinen) threw a great game. I was really happy to see Hunter (Dollander) get back in action after missing more than a month. We have to come back tomorrow against a good team and continue doing the things that have made us successful during this winning streak,” said Head Coach Brad Stromdahl.
Turning Point
The Grizzlies took the lead for good in the fourth inning following a two-run triple by senior Brandon Robinson. The home team added two more runs in the inning on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Cam Coursey along with a wild pitch to build a 5-1 advantage.
Key Plays
Bottom of Second
Cam Coursey tied the game, 1-1, with a two-out infield single that scored Livingston Morris
Bottom of Fourth
Brandon Robinson gave the Grizzlies a 3-1 lead with a two-run triple
Cam Coursey hit a sacrifice fly to score the third run of the frame
Bottom of Sixth
C.J. Ballard’s single brought home Nick Tanner
Onassis Matos added a RBI single to right field to give the home team a 7-1 lead
Inside The Numbers
- The Grizzlies collected 13 hits in the victory
- Senior Gregory Loukinen had a season-high 12 strikeouts
- Sophomore Livingston Morris went 3-for-4, with two runs scored
- GGC recorded nine stolen bases in the game
News & Notes
- GGC improves to 32-8 on the season; William Carey falls to 13-21
- Georgia Gwinnett College is No. 4 in the NAIA Top 25 poll
- The team is 25-5 at the Grizzly Baseball Complex this season
- The Grizzlies have won all five meetings played between the two programs
Up Next
The two teams conclude the midweek series with a nine-inning game on Wednesday, April 10, starting at 3 p.m. at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.