GREENWOOD, S.C. | Georgia College & State University rallied to score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to eliminate the University of South Carolina-Aiken 11-7 from the Peach Belt Conference Baseball Tournament at Dolny Stadium Sunday (May 4) afternoon.
The third-seeded Bobcats improved to 30-23 and advance to the bracket final against No. 2 seed Lander University later in the day. GCSU would need to win twice to advance to next week's championship series. The No. 7 seed Pacers ended their season at 23-29.
The game originally started Saturday (May 3) evening, but was suspended in the top of the fourth with the Bobcats leading 3-1 due to rain and lightning.
GCSU added two runs in the fourth inning on an RBI single from
Ben Hamacher and a
Gabe Wuerth ground out to open a 5-1 lead. USC Aiken got a run back in the fifth before GCSU opened up a 6-2 lead after a
Braeden Smith RBI single up the middle in the sixth.
The Pacers reclaimed the lead at 7-6 with five runs in the top of the eighth. Josh Sharp drove in two runs on a single up the middle before Capers Molinaroli had a two-run homer to left field.
Matthew Mebane tied the game at 7 in the bottom half of the frame with a fielder's choice.
Carson Phillips gave GCSU the lead for good at 8-7 when he laced a triple to center field that scored Mebane. Phillips scored on a wild pitch before
Hank Noonan laced a two-run homer to left to give GCSU an 11-7 lead.
Christian Donaldson (5-5) earned the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and striking out three.
The Bobcats only had seven hits as they took advantage of 12 walks issued by the six USC Aiken pitchers. Noonan led the GCSU offense with two hits.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four 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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