MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – With their backs against the wall, the No. 2-seed Georgia College Baseball team (32-18) took two games from No. 7-seed USC Aiken (21-28) Sunday at John Kurtz Field, 8-3 and 4-3 advancing to the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) final four next weekend in Columbus.

The Bobcats were upended 4-1 Saturday, requiring a sweep of today's action to win the best-of-three PBC Quarterfinal Series with the Pacers. GC advances, joining No. 1-seed and host Columbus State University, No. 3-seed Georgia Southwestern State University and No. 5-seed Young Harris College.

Game one was mostly controlled by the Bobcats, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage after two and a 7-2 lead after five innings. GC brought in four in the second inning, the first coming in on a single from Palmer Sapp (Dawsonville). The Bobcats manufactured the other three on a bases-loaded hit-batsman, a groundout and a wild pitch.

Sapp provided another boost in the fifth, following a pair of walks by blasting a pitch over the leftfield fence. It was his fifth home run this season.

Righty Brennan Crooms (Metter) had a strong start to nab the win. Crooms (7-3) went five innings, scattering six hits for just two runs, and fanning four. Lefty Luc Scudellari (Roswell) threw 2 2/3 with a single run and four strikeouts, turning the final 1 1/3 over to Davis Swenson (Toccoa) who had a clean sheet.

Sapp finished game one 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs.

Game two was a tight one, Georgia College picking up the game's deciding run in the bottom of the eighth and closing it out for the 4-3 victory.

The eighth was interesting, to say the least. Centerfielder Cam Hill (Marietta) led off with a single, taking second on a stolen base, as the Pacers came up empty on a hidden ball trick. Then back-to-back errors allowed the go-ahead run across.

Lefty starter Jacob Hester (Marietta) went eight innings, the longest outing of his career. Hester (5-1) allowed just three runs on nine hits and no walks. He fanned five. Lefty Aidan McAllister (Suwanee) spun a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.

Hill finished 3-for-4 with two runs, while designated hitter Mason Spivey (Appling) tagged a two-run double to right-center as part of a 2-for-3 day with three RBIs. Rightfielder Paul Grazzini (Marietta) added a pair of singles in four at-bats.  

The wins put the Bobcats in next weekend's four-team, double-elimination bracket to decide the winner of the 2022 PBC Tournament. If the schedule stays the same as posted on the PBC website, GC will take on Georgia Southwestern Friday, May 13 at 7 p.m. More details will follow in the coming days.

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.