MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Matthew Mebane and
Brandon Bellflower each hit a home run as the duo combined to drive in six runs as Georgia College & State University downed Columbus State University 12-5 in the second round of the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament Saturday (May 4) afternoon at John Kurtz Field.
The Bobcats, who are the tournament's No. 2 seed, improved to 31-20 and will now advance to Sunday's (May 5) bracket final at noon where they will face the Cougars, who are the No. 3 seed. Either a GCSU win ot two wins by Columbus State, who won two elimination games to get to the bracket final, will send them to the PBC Championship Series which starts Thursday (May 9).
CSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before the Bobcats tied the game with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame on sacrifice flies from Mebane and
Evan Cowan.
Again the Cougars scored twice in the top of the third before the Bobcats responded with four runs of their own in the bottom half to take a 6-4 lead. GCSU tied the game on Mebane's two-run homer - his 16th of the season - to left field.
Mason Poole added an RBI single to right field to give the Bobcats the lead for good.
Cam McNearney scored the final run as part of a double steal.
Georgia College added two more unearned runs in the fourth as the Bobcats.
Mitch Cowan had a sacrifice fly in the inning.
The Bobcats added two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 12-5 lead. Bellflower led off the sixth with a homer - his 10th of 2024 - to left field. McNearney added a run-scoring double to left field.
Bellflower added an RBI double in the seventh before Mebane followed with an RBI single up the middle.
Reliever
Caden Tillman (1-1) threw a career-best six innings, scattering six hits and a run while striking out a career-best five strikeouts,
McNearney led the Bobcats, who put together 13 hits against the Cougars, with three hits, while
Braeden Smith, Bellflower, Mebane and Poole accounted for two hits each.Mebane drove in four runs, while Bellflower had two RBI.
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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