MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Home runs from Matthew Mebane and Keagan Baxter fueled the Bobcats' offense as Georgia College & State University swept the University of South Carolina-Beaufort in a Peach Belt Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday (March 8) afternoon at John Kurtz Field.
The Bobcats won via the run rule, winning the opener 13-1 in seven innings, while the nightcap went to the full nine innings, as GCSU came out on top, 10-2.
The Bobcats climbed to 12-11 and remain undefeated in the PBC at 6-0, while the Sand Sharks fell to 3-18 and 1-7. GCSU concludes an eight-game homestand Tuesday (March 11) against Valdosta State University at 4 p.m.
The Sand Sharks jumped out in front in the third inning with an RBI groundout by Jeremy Brown; however, the Bobcats put up three in the bottom of the inning on a pair of hits by Ben Hamacher and Mebane. Mebane struck again in the following inning, hitting a towering grand slam to put the Bobcats up 7-1.
The Bobcats took advantage of pitcher PJ Luebbers in the sixth inning, using a plethora of walks to plate five runs in the inning.
Bradley Wilson (3-1) threw a complete game, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball, striking out five.
Sand Shark sophomore Ian Barnes kept the Bobcat bats in check through the opening three innings of game two, but Baxter put an end to that in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a three-run opposite field home run to put a crooked number on the board.
GCSU knocked in three more runs in the seventh inning, on as many doubles, and the J.D. Coleman capped off the inning with a two-run homer – his first of his collegiate career – to make the score 10-1.
Mason Brown (3-0) collected the win, throwing six innings of one-run baseball, striking out four. Tyler Smith picked up his second save of the season, pitching three innings, giving up only one unearned run and striking out four.
Eight Bobcats had extra base hits, including Mebane, Baxter, Coleman, Hamacher, Gabe Wuerth, Rand Bestermann, Evan Cowan, and Carson Phillips.
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.
