ORANGEBURG, S.C. | Caleb Miele and Carson Phillips had multiple home run games as Georgia College & State University outscore Claflin University 34-2 in a doubleheader sweep in Peach Belt Conference baseball action Saturday (March 29) at Historic Mirmow Field.
The Bobcat offense, fueled by an 11-run third inning, won the doubleheader opener 22-0, followed by a 12-2 win in the nightcap. Both games were decided in seven innings.
GCSU improved to 20-15 overall and 13-2 in the PBC, while the Panthers fell to 5-26-1 and 0-15. It was the fifth consecutive PBC series win for GCSU this year. The Bobcats continue their tour of South Carolina, traveling to Central, South Carolina, for a non-conference matchup against Southern Wesleyan University Wednesday (April 2) at 6 p.m.
The Bobcat bats jumped all over Claflin starting pitcher Xavier Campbell from the get-go, plating four in the first, topped off by Miele's first home run of the contest, followed by 11 in the third, built by home runs from Hank Noonan, Matthew Mebane, and a second from Miele.
A pair of runs came in fourth and another in the fifth, with one coming from Miele's third home run. GCSU scored three more in the top of the seventh.
Bradley Wilson (6-1) struck out four in six shutout innings, permitting only seven base runners on four hits and three walks.
GCSU repeated the opening of the opener in the nightcap, quickly scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first; however, the Panthers scooted a run across in the bottom half of the inning, for their first of the day.
Three more came across for the Bobcats in the fourth, with two coming from a two-run blast from Phillips. Christian Hill, who had the only extra-base hit for Claflin in the doubleheader, brought things closer with a home run to left field in the fourth.
Nevertheless, the Bobcats brought six more runs in the fifth, finished by another two-run home run from Phillips, and finally another run came across in the seventh to secure the run-rule.
Mason Brown (6-0) accumulated seven punch outs in his six innings, giving up two runs–one earned, three hits, and a walk
Nine Bobcats had at least two hits between doubleheader games: Mebane, Noonan, Miele, Phillips, Gabe Wuerth, Ben Hamacher, Braeden Smith, Keagan Baxter, and J.D. Coleman.
