LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The Montreat College baseball team battled valiantly but came up short in a pair of contests against the second-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies on Saturday. After dropping the initial matchup, 4-2, the Cavaliers lost the second clash between the two sides, 10-4. Following the three-game series sweep, the Cavs moved to 20-9 on the year, while GGC improved to 24-2 overall.
Georgia Gwinnett took an early lead in game one by plating a trio of runs. The hosts registered just one hit in the first frame, but five walks did more than enough damage. A double drove in a pair of baserunners, while a four-pitch walk with the bags juiced enabled another Grizzly to trot home. Thanks to the free passes, the hosts finished the opening inning with a 3-0 advantage.
An error aided the Cavaliers in getting on the scoreboard during the top half of the third.
Gabriel Ferrell reached on a fielding miscue by the shortstop, and after stealing second base and advancing to third on a groundout, he then sprinted home on
Cameron Nagel's grounder to second. The run helped trim the visitors' deficit to 3-1.
The Grizzlies added an insurance run in the fifth inning. A leadoff hit-by-pitch and a walk set the table for a two-out RBI single through the right side. Montreat got the run back during the ensuing half inning via
Daniel Restrepo's RBI infield base knock, but the Cavs couldn't pull any closer. A double play closed out the seven-inning affair, and GGC clinched the series with a 4-2 triumph.
Ashe Ammerlaan pitched 3 2/3 innings in his fourth start of the year. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and eight walks, and he also punched out one batter.
Nick Kantzavelos contributed 1 1/3 innings in relief, yielding one earned run on one hit, with three walks and one strikeout.
Ja'Lan Chambers finished game one with a scoreless frame, surrendering merely one hit. Overall, Montreat pitching gave up just four hits to the No. 2-ranked Grizzlies.
Nagel recorded an RBI, and he was also hit by a pitch.
Zachary Long smacked a double and drew a walk.
Tommy Ramos and Restrepo each contributed a hit, while the latter also drove in a run.
Like the first matchup, Georgia Gwinnett struck first with a three-run inning, this time during the second frame. A pair of run-producing singles sandwiched an RBI groundout that saw the hosts stake their claim to an early 3-0 lead.
Montreat's bats applied some pressure in the top of the fifth. Ferrell notched a base knock to begin the inning before scoring on a throwing error.
Dawson Bryant then delivered an RBI groundout to third base, pulling the visitors within 3-2. However, the Grizzlies punched back in the bottom half of the inning, pushing their edge to 4-2 behind a sacrifice fly.
The Cavaliers clawed to within a run again in the sixth frame, utilizing a trio of singles and a double steal attempt to send
Gustavo Gonzalez home. GGC refused to let the visitors erase the deficit, though, capitalizing on another sac fly to restore its two-run advantage (5-3).
Long's second double of the afternoon drove in Nagel during the seventh, and it trimmed the disparity between the two sides to 5-4. A lineout double play ended Montreat's rally, however, and a pair of runs in the ensuing half inning provided some much-needed insurance for the home team.
Georgia Gwinnett expanded its lead out to 10-4 thanks to a three-run eighth. Meanwhile, the Cavs went 1-2-3 in the ninth with three strikeouts, sealing the second-ranked Grizzlies' 10-4 win.
Jordon Hart made his first start of the campaign, tossing 3 2/3 innings while allowing four hits, two walks and three earned runs. He also struck out one batter.
Trevor Laughlin hurled 2 1/3 innings, conceding three hits and two earned runs with two walks.
Hunter Rast took the mound for the final two frames, giving up five earned runs on six hits and two walks. Five of Rast's six recorded outs were strikeouts.
Long chipped in offensively with a double and an RBI.
Matthew Brunner collected two hits to lead the squad, and he also drew a walk. Bryant added a hit and an RBI while catching a runner stealing defensively. Ferrell recorded a base knock and crossed the plate once.
"Another tough weekend, but it won't go to waste," said Head Coach
Jason Beck. "We know what we need to do to improve, but now we must execute it. Some of our guys need to step up and lead as teams are defined through adversity. We are seeing that now."
Up next, the Montreat College baseball team continues its stretch of nonconference action on Friday and Saturday with a pair of home doubleheaders versus the Trinity College Tigers. Both days feature scheduled start times of 12 and 3 p.m.
