MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College Baseball team (13-11, 11-10 PBC) split a doubleheader with Georgia Southwestern State University (13-12, 12-9 PBC) Saturday at John Kurtz Field, dropping game one 6-3 and rebounding for a 7-6 win.

In game one, all of the fireworks came early before pitchers took over.

The Bobcats led after a three-run home run by sophomore Noah Mendlinger (Alpharetta) in the first. The blast was his second this season and fifth in his career. The Hurricanes responded with a five-run second to take the lead for good. The game remained scoreless until the top of the ninth, when GSW added an insurance run.  

The Bobcats put up six straight scoreless frames from the third-through-eighth. Righty reliever Ashton Sturgell (Evans) entered in the second, throwing 4 2/3 innings scoreless. He scattered two walks and five hits, fanning a pair. Mendlinger threw the final three innings, allowing the single run on two hits, striking out four. Lefty Bryce Bowen (Bowman) fell to 1-3 in 1 1/3 innings of work.

In game two, the Hurricanes led 5-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. GC responded there with two runs, coming in on a sacrifice fly from Austin Holloway (Social Circle) and a Cal Gentry (Perry) RBI single.

GSW made it 6-4 with a home run in the seventh, and then the Bobcat offense got busy in the eighth.

The Bobcats had two outs and a runner on first after a fielder's choice. A hit batsman and walk then loaded the bases for Mendlinger. The sophomore dropped an opposite-field single to left driving home two runs to tie the game, but GC wasn't done yet. Leftfielder Jay Saunders (Moultrie) came up huge with his first hit of the day, slicing a single to right and putting the Bobcats up 7-6.

Senior Kyle King (Johns Creek) threw the eighth in relief to get the win (2-0) striking out the side. Junior Garrett Houston (Macon) picked up his first career save with a scoreless ninth.

Mendlinger finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, giving the sophomore six over the course of the doubleheader. Cam Hill (Marietta) had a triple as part of a 2-for-3 game, driving in one and scoring the game-winner. Gentry was 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while rightfielder Paul Grazzini (Marietta) added two hits in four trips and a run scored.

In today's action Gentry picked up his 285^th career hit, passing Tony Adams (1986) for sixth in school history. Up next is Wesley Wommack (2019) with 289.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, April 7 at 3 p.m., traveling to Francis Marion University for a doubleheader. The Patriots are allowing limited visiting spectators, with no walk-up ticket sales.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics is proud to receive the 2020 NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner Cup and the former PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, GC Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on Graduating Champions For Life. Sign up at @GCBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.