HARDEEVILLE, S.C. | Georgia College & State University scored 29 runs and smacked 37 hits as the Bobcats swept a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader from the University of South Carolina-Beaufort Friday (March 8) evening at the Richard Gray Sports Complex.
The Bocats won game one 13-3 in seven innings before rallying for a 16-10 decision in the nightcap.
GCSU improved to 11-10 overall and to 3-2 in the PBC, while the Sand Sharks fell to 7-12 and 2-3. Due to expected heavy rains in the South Carolina lowcountry, game three has been pushed to Sunday (March 11) at 1 p.m.
The Bobcats spotted USC Beaufort a run in the bottom of the first inning of the opener before they took control of the game over the next three innings. GCSU scored a run in the second, four in the third and closed out the run with six more in the fourth inning. The Bobcats closed out their scoring with two more runs in the sixth to open up a 13-1 lead.
Georgia College swatted a season-high 21 hits in game one as every starter but one had at least two hits.
Matthew Mebane,
Hank Noonan,
Mason Poole and
Cam McNearney each collected three hits, while
Gabriel Wuerth,
Brandon Bellflower,
Braeden Smith, and
Mitch Cowan each had two. Bellflower, Noonan, Cowan, Poole and McNearney each registered a double. Bellflower, Mebane, Noonan, Cowan, and Poole each drove in two runs.
John Luke Glanton (3-3) earned the complete-game victory as he allowed just five hits, three runs and struck out four.
USC Beaufort opened up an 8-3 lead in the nightcap after scoring six runs in the second, before rallying for the win.
GCSU retook the lead at 9-8 after the Bobcats responded with a six-run third inning, highlighted by a
Brent Burford grand slam to left-center field. It was his first long ball of the season. The Sand Sharks reclaimed the lead at 10-9 after two runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Bobcats tied the game at 10 in the sixth on Poole's single to right field and took the lead for good an inning later with three more runs. Mebane broke the tie with an RBI double to right-center before
Matthew Cassandra added a two-run single to left. GCSU added a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth inning.
Burford drove in five runs for the Bobcats, while Mebane, Smiith, and Cassandra each drove in two. Poole led GCSU with four hits, while Bellflower had three. Mebane, Smith and Burford each tallied two hits.
Reliever
John Raines (3-1) earned the victory with 6.1 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out 12. The 12 strikeouts are a career-high for the sophomore from Powder Springs, Georgia.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason 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 @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to theÂ
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