MILLEDGEVILLE, GA. | Matthew Mebane and Bradley Wilson led the way as Georgia College & State University took down the University of South Carolina-Aiken 14-3 in a Peach Belt Conference baseball contest Saturday (April 5) afternoon at John Kurtz Field.
The Bobcats extended their winning streak to six, improving to 23-15 overall and to 15-2 in the PBC, while the Pacers fell to 16-21 and 6-11. GCSU concludes the three-game set against USC Aiken Sunday (April 5) at 1 p.m. in search of the sweep.
Both starters pitched scoreless first innings; however, Evan Cowan raced his way around the bases, reaching via a hit-by-pitch before stealing second and third, finally scoring the contest's first run on a single from Carson Phillips. GCSU scored three more in the third from a single from Braeden Smith, a sacrifice fly from Mebane, and a fielder's choice from Keagan Baxter.
Wilson seemed to pitch stronger as the contest went on, sitting the side down with strikeouts in the top of the fifth.
The bottom of the fifth inning was the big one for the Bobcats, as Rand Bestermann started the scoring with a two-run single to right. A bit of wildness from Pacer reliever Luke Norman led to a pair of runs on a Ben Hamacher single. The wildness also provided a bases-loaded situation for Mebane, to which he greeted a full-count pitch to a ride deep center for a towering 436-foot grand slam, capping off the eight-run inning to make the score 12-0. It was his sixth homer of the campaign.
Tams Mullins attempted to shut the door on the run-rule victory but struggled in his relief outing, loading the bases and collecting only one out. Griffin Davis shut things down to end the top of the seventh, but not before three runs came across for more baseball.
However, Bestermann decided he did not want to catch another half inning in the bottom of the eighth, cracking a line drive walk-off run-rule home run - his second of the season - down the left field line.
Wilson (7-1) pitched six shutout innings, surrendering four hits and two walks, while striking out six.
Mebane led the Bobcats with five RBI, with Bestermann following closely behind with four. Four other Bobcats had an RBI: Hamacher, Smith, Baxter, and 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.
