MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Seniors led the way as
Carson Phillips sealed the deal of a run-rule victory on a double to center as Georgia College & State University beat down on Emmanuel University 12-2 in a non-conference baseball game to conclude the season's home schedule Tuesday (April 21) at John Kurtz Field.
The Bobcats improved to 19-25, while the Lions fell to 20-26. GCSU returns with a final three-game Peach Belt Conference set against Claflin University to conclude the regular season, with the series opener Friday (April 24) at 6 p.m. in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Phillips received the John Kurtz Award prior to the game The Kurtz Award is the annual honor for the top individual on the GCSU baseball team, handed out since 1994. The honor is in memory of legendary head coach John Kurtz, a GCSU Athletics Hall of Famer with 577 career wins that put GCSU baseball and athletics as a whole on the sporting map. The Kurtz Award is given to the best representative of GCSU baseball's senior class each year.Â
Blake Bellflower opened the day for the Bobcat offense in the third, homering to right field for a three-run blast to put GCSU out in front 3-0. Rand Bestermann followed Bellflower's home run with an RBI-double to drive in Cole Huddleston.Â
The Lions chipped into the lead in the fourth, as Will Flips drove in Nick Madrigal on a sacrifice fly, but Phillips answered back in the bottom of the inning with a single to drive in Evan Cowan.Â
The Bobcat offense took advantage of an inning-extending error in the fifth and sixth to score six unearned runs, as Bellflower and Wood came around in the fifth, and Whited, Bellflower, Cowan, and Bestermann all scored in the sixth.Â
After an intentional walk to Cowan with a runner at second in the seventh, Phillips laced a double to right-center to end the contest early.Â
Davis Bargeron (1-0) collected his first collegiate win, pitching an inning while striking out one. Griffin Morris (0-2) claimed the loss, throwing two innings of one-run baseball, while punching out a pair of Bobcats.Â
Bestermann led the Bobcats in extra-base hits with his two doubles, while Phillips' double and Bellflower's home run were the only other two extra-base knocks. Phillips led the team in hits with three. Both Bestermann and Bellflower led the team with three RBI.Â
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six 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.
