In five previous games this season, the Georgia College & State University baseball team (11-12, 9-3 PBC) had been on the short end of the score at home on John Kurtz Field.
That changed on March 10, when the Bobcats hosted USC Beaufort and picked up an 11-1 win. They followed up the next day with doubleheader wins of 5-4 and 3-2 over the same Sand Sharks team.
A five-run fourth inning anchored the Bobcats’ win on Friday night, with three added in the eighth and single runs scored in each of the second, fifth and seventh innings.
Josh Hudgins of Dunwoody picked up the start and the win on the mound for the Bobcats. Hudgins (2-1) maintained his ERA of zero pitching six scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Designated hitter Baylin Moore contributed three RBIs, a score, and popped up a sacrifice fly on the offensive side, with catcher Trever Knowles contributing three hits on four at bats and a pair of RBIs while scoring once himself.
In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Sand Sharks plated two in the first inning and another pair in the second before the GCSU pitching staff shut them down for seven scoreless innings.
The Bobcats responded by scoring a run in the bottom of the first as Palmer Sapp drove in Ben Tuten with an RBI single up the middle.
USCB added another two runs of their own in the second inning, but the Bobcats responded in the third with a two-run third effort to cut the Sand Shark lead down to a single run.
Tuten grounded out, but allowed Evan Cowan to score, and Jaxon Weatherford launched a dinger over the right-field fence to bring the game to 3-4.
GCSU then put together another two-run inning in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead they would not surrender. Matthew Chester put the ball in play and forced a USCB throwing error that allowed Trevor Knowles and Baylin Moore to reach home and put the Bobcats on top.
Luc Scudellari (2-1) picked up the win for the Bobcats after allowing only four runs through six innings of work as he nabbed five strikeouts. John Raines closed the game and picked up his third save of the season in his lone inning on the mound.
The second game of the doubleheader was a pitcher's duel that resulted in a 3-2 GCSU walk-off victory. The Bobcats plated single runs in the fourth, sixth and ninth innings of the contest to leg out the win.
The first run came on a Brandon Bellflower sacrifice fly to center field, with Tuten making it 1-0 on the play.
After being scoreless through five innings, USCB finally scored twice in the top of the sixth, but that would be it for their offense.
GCSU came back to tie at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Palmer Sapp scored on a wild pitch.
With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, the walk-off win came on a bunt by Dominic Arienzo of Madison, that forced an errant throw to bring Hunter Baker home with the game-winning third Bobcats’ score.
Starting GCSU pitcher Trey Felt got nine strikeouts through six innings of work, allowing two earned runs on two hits. John Luke Glanton picked up his first win of the season after his two-and-a-third innings in the circle.
A close 15-14 loss followed for the Bobcats at Southern Wesleyan March 14, followed by a return to winning ways at home March 18-19, with a trio of victories of 4-1, 17-0 and 5-1 posted over the visiting Jaguars.