MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Braeden Smith hit two home runs and Mason Brown allowed just one unearned run over seven innings as Georgia College & State University recorded an 8-2 victory over Augusta University in a Peach Belt Conference baseball game Sunday (March 2) afternoon at the John Kurtz Field.

The Bobcats improved to 9-10 overall and to 3-0 in the PBC as they won their fourth consecutive game and completed the sweep of the Jaguars. Augusta fell to 4-16 and 2-4. GCSU continues the homestand with a 4 p.m. game Tuesday (March 4) against No. 11 Catawba College. It will be a rematch of last year's Southeast Super Regionals.

GCSU scored five runs in the bottom of the third off Augusta starter Luke Barch (1-1). Carson Phillips led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Rand Bestermann reached on an error, Gabe Wuerth walked to load the bases. Ben Hamacher put the Bobcats on the board with an RBI single to right field. Smith, who leads GCSU with six home runs, then followed with a grand slam to right-center field to give the Bobcats a 5-0 lead.

After Augusta scored an unearned run in the fifth, the Bobcats got it back in the sixth on Smith's leadoff home run to right-center field. The Jaguars scored a run in the eighth, but GCSU got two runs in the bottom half. Hank Noonan drove in the first run on a single through the left side and later scored on a wild pitch. 

Brown (2-0) earned the win as he scattered four hits and a walk to go along with four strikeouts in seven innings. Tyler Smith inherited a bases-loaded situation with no one in the eighth inning and pitched two scoreless innings to earn his first save.

Hamacher, Smith and Phillips each collected two hits for the Bobcats.
 

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five 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 the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.  


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