MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College Baseball team (30-18) stumbled in the opener of their Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Quarterfinal Series against USC Aiken (21-27) Saturday at John Kurtz Field, falling 4-1.

The No. 2-seed Bobcats and No. 7-seed Pacers meet again tomorrow, May 8 in a doubleheader to decide who advances to next week's four-team double-elimination tournament. The Pacers need win only one of the two games, while the Bobcats will now need a sweep.

The Pacers got on the board first in a big way, as shortstop Scott Huntley had a deep fly skim the top of the fence for a two-run home run in the second. USCA added another run in the third on a Bobcat error.

It took until the sixth for the Bobcats to finally scratch a run across, as righty starter Joel Haney (7-4) handcuffed GC for the majority of the contest.

The Bobcats got their run on a popup to shallow right that the Pacer second base caught with his momentum moving away from the plate, allowing GC centerfielder Cam Hill (Marietta) to score on a headfirst slide. The Pacers pushed the lead back to three scoring on a fielder's choice in the eighth.

Haney finished with six innings of one-run ball, only recording a single strikeout. The Bobcats put the ball in play, but couldn't string anything together, not helped by USCA playing errorless ball. Lefty reliever Louie Smith spun the final three innings scoreless for his first career save. Bobcat starter Josh Hudgins (Dunwoody) was sharp, going six innings of his own. Hudgins (6-4) surrendered just two earned runs, walked one and fanned three, allowing eight hits.

Senior second base Austin Holloway (Social Circle) and KC Brown (Savannah) each had two hits for the Bobcats, each also recording a double. Brown's double hit the base of the fence on the fly, as the senior shortstop swatted one directly into an aggressive wind.

The Bobcats and Pacers square off in doubleheader action tomorrow, May 8 at 1 p.m.

As a proud recipient of the 2021 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GC Athletics is now two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the league's sportsmanship honor. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.