LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Facing the reigning NAIA National Champions and currently-ranked No. 11 Georgia Gwinnett on Friday night, the USCB baseball team stunned the Grizzlies in come-from-behind fashion, as the Sand Sharks scored two runs in the last inning to upset GGC - 5-4 - at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Brandon Blume - five innings, four hits, three runs, two walks, four strikeouts
Scott Matthews - four innings, win, one hit, no earned runs, no walks, two strikeouts
Julian Galassi - 1-for-1, pinch-hit and game-winning RBI single
Leandy Castro - 2-for-4, two singles
Clint Sellars - 1-for-4, double, one run
Brock Thibodeaux - 1-for-4, triple, one RBI, one run
Kyran Russ - 1-for-1, pinch-hit double, one run
Wesley Ambrose - 1-for-4, single
Nick Milhan and Alexander Humphrey - one sac fly each
HOW IT HAPPENED
GGC opened the scoring early with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Joshua Holt Jr. earned a RBI single, while Livingston Morris touched home via a throwing error.
After tacking on a run in the bottom of the second, USCB broke onto the scoreboard in the fourth with a lone run. Castro started the rally with a single, and he moved to second thanks to a throwing error. Brian Meyer was hit by a pitch. After an out, Milhan walked to force the bases loaded with one out. Humphrey popped out, but Hunter McKown was hit by a pitch with two outs to score USCB's first run to make it a 3-1 game.
The fifth inning flew by quickly, but the sixth inning featured a lot of offense, including USCB tying the game at 3-3. Meyer reached on a fielding error, and Sellars made it hurt with a double to left. Milhan and Humphrey followed promptly with back-to-back sacrifice flies to tie the game, 3-3.
The tied game didn't last long though, as the reigning national champions scored in the bottom of the sixth to pull ahead by one, 4-3.
Just like several innings in the series opener, USCB and GGC struggled to find offense in the seventh and eighth innings, as neither team saw a player reach base.
Moving into the ninth, USCB's offense caught fire and took its first lead of the contest. After two quick outs, Russ came up with a clutch pinch hit double to center, and Thibodeaux followed with a ringing triple to left center to tie the game at 4-4. Galassi also came on to pinch hit, and he earned a run-scoring, infield single to take the one-run lead, 5-4. Ambrose carried the momentum with a single, and he swiped second to put two Sand Sharks in scoring position. However, Galassi and Ambrose were left there.
GGC tried to show fight, as its leadoff batter reached base safely, but Matthews stayed poised on the mound to seal the one-run win for USCB.
TEAM RECORD UPDATES
USCB - 25-24 overall
No. 11 Georgia Gwinnett - 36-13 overall
WHAT'S NEXT?
Games two and three of the head-to-head series between USCB and Georgia Gwinnett is slated to begin on Saturday at 1 p.m.
