As the final batter for the No. 8 ranked Columbus State Cougars was thrown out at first to clinch a 2-1 series upset for the Georgia College Bobcats, the home fans at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field were silent as their team dropped a series at home for the first time since April of 2019.
Coming into the series, many expected the Bobcats to be swept by the top-ten Cougars squad or at most squeak out one win if they played well enough. The team in green decided to put on the show of the season from the start by stunning the Columbus State A-team with an 8-5 victory Friday night. The Bobcats got things started early as senior KC Brown hit a two-run bomb in the third inning, and Brown would later hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth as part of a massive five-run inning that extended the Bobcats’ lead to 7-0. The eighth ranked team in the nation would absolutely not want to go out like that, and the Cougars stormed back with eight runs of their own to get the lead back to just two. After that outburst however, senior pitcher Aidan McAllister would put on a clinic in relief by throwing a no-hitter and striking out five batters in the final three innings. KC Brown also came through in the clutch once again with an RBI single in the eighth inning to firmly end any thought the Cougars had about coming back.
The second game went down how many thought the series would, as the two teams were neck and neck heading into the bottom of the fourth with GC only up by two runs. Then the Cougars put the pedal to the medal, exploding for seven runs in an inning that culminated in a grand slam from junior Will Wilbanks. After that, the Cougars added four more runs in the eighth inning, and the Bobcats were halted after only scoring two in the top of the ninth in a 14-7 loss.
After a short break, the decisive, seven-inning third game of the series got underway, and it looked as though GC might get routed again, as Columbus State senior John Pardue blasted a solo home run in the second inning to start the scoring and give the Cougars a one-run lead. The Bobcats however answered immediately with a solo blast of their own from freshman David Julian to tie the game, then took the lead the very next inning off another solo shot, this time from senior Brandon Bellflower. After that it was all Georgia College, as a three-run sixth inning powered by a bases-clearing triple from sophomore Palmer Sapp followed by an RBI single from Brandon Bellflower in the seventh put the game securely out of reach, giving the Bobcats a 6-1 victory over the high and mighty Cougars.
As the season comes to a close, the Bobcats are in an incredibly volatile predicament when it comes to how they will be seeded in the postseason tournament. Assuming GC sweeps their final three-game series away against Augusta this weekend, they will be guaranteed a home series to start the playoffs, but if they lose even one game, they can be knocked down all the way to sixth place and face a significantly tougher opponent in the opening round. The first must-win game against Augusta is Friday, April 29 at 2:30 p.m., with the final two games being played in doubleheader fashion the following day.