ORANGEBURG, S.C. | The top four hitters in the Georgia College & State University baseball lineup accounted for 12 hits and 11 runs driven in as the Bobcats defeated Claflin University 15-5 in eight innings in a Peach Belt Conference game Friday (March 28) evening at Historic Mirmow Field.
The Bobcats improved to 18-15 overall and to 11-2 in the PBC, while the Panthers fell to 5-24-1 and 0-13. The teams wrap up their three-game series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday (March 29).
GCSU scored 10 runs over the first three innings as they took a 10-2 lead. The Bobcats opened a 2-0 lead on a
Hank Noonan RBI single to left-center, while
Caleb Miele drove in the run on a single to left field.
The Bobcats broke the game open with a five-run second.
Gabe Wuerth had an RBI single down the right field line,
Ben Hamacher drove in a run on a fielder's choice, while
Braeden Smith clubbed a three-run homer to center field. It was his team leading eight long ball of 2025.
GCSU added three runs in the third frame as Hamacher had a run-scoring single through the left side, while
Matthew Mebane followed with a two-run double to left-center field.
The Panthers got as close as 10-4 in the sixth inning, but GCSU closed out the game early as they scored three times in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
Wuerth, Hamacher and Smith had back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh, while
Keagan Baxter stroked a two-run homer to left field an inning later. It was his sixth homer of the year.
John Luke Glanton (5-3) earned the complete-game win as he scattered 10 hits and two walks, while striking out three.
Ten of the 18 hits by the Bobcats went for extra bases as GCSU registered eight doubles and two home runs.
Smith paced GCSU with four hits and four RBI, while Wuerth and Hamacher tallied three hits apiece. Mebane, Miele and
Carson Phillips had two hits each. Hamacher drove in three runs, while Wuerth, Mebane and Baxter each had two RBI.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
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 theÂ
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