Bellflower walks it off in game two as Bobcats take the series versus the Pacers 2-1

Emily Henderson Staff Writer

The GC baseball team hosted the USC Aiken Pacers in a three-game series this past weekend.

The Alumni Weekend games filled the stands for a fun baseball weekend with two games that did not disappoint.

The first game of the series, on Friday, started strong for GC, scoring first in the bottom of the first. While the Bobcats reached scoring position, they could not drive in the runners, leaving them stranded at the end of each inning.

The Pacers, on the other hand, came back after the first, producing eight runs on 14 hits and finishing the game 2-8.

Game two, on Saturday, was a different story for the Bobcats.

USC Aiken started the first with a two-out hit to shallow center. Junior catcher Trevor Knowles showed off his arm, gunning a runner trying to advance on a bad pitch in the dirt out.

Again, the Pacers produced a two-out hit with a double to left field, followed by a triple, to score the first run of the game.

The Bobcats reached base in the fourth and fifth, with singles by freshman first baseman Jaxson Weatherford in the fourth and senior outfielder Baylin Moore in the fifth, but no one else hit safely to put the Bobcats on the board.

The team found some success in the bottom of the sixth after a bad throw by the shortstop put the leadoff hitter, Dominic Arienzo, on first. Then, a bunt by Evan Cowan advanced the runner to second, and a wild pitch put Arienzo on third. Next, a twoout walk put runners on the corners for the Bobcats, but, unfortunately, a ground ball to the shortstop ended the inning.

The Bobcats found themselves in trouble in the top of the ninth after a quick first out. Backto-back singles then put runners on first and second, with only one out. Both runners advanced during the next pitching sequence on a pitch in the dirt. GC freshman pitcher John Raines kept his composure, striking out the next batter, followed by a fly ball to right field to end the top of the inning.

The bottom of the ninth started with an infield single by senior infielder Ben Tuten after a long at-bat. Junior

Brandon Bellflower was next up for the Bobcats. On the first pitch, Bellflower timed up the pitch and hit a deep shot to right field. The ball sailed over the wall and into the night to walk off the game for the Bobcats, ending the game 2-1.

“Games like this just build camaraderie for the team,” said Trey Felt, a senior pitcher. “We played well. We didn’t give up, and we were able to win the game. It just creates memories that are going to last forever for every one of us.”

Game three, on Sun- day, was a completely different game for GC. With two big innings, the third, scoring six, and the sixth, scoring four, the Bobcats produced 10 runs off of only nine hits. The Pacers, also with nine hits, came up with five errors, which cost them the game. GC ended the series with a 10-3 win against the Pacers.

“On Friday, we were putting good hard swings on balls, but they were right to people,” Bellflower said. “We didn’t play great. We lost. But we were able to keep the same focus, get good hits in BP [batting practice] and just keep our gameday routine going.

What changed, and what happened after game one, was a product of all the hard work that everyone was able to put in.”

USC Aiken was the No. 1 team in the Peach Belt Conference, or PBC, coming into this series. These two big wins from the Bobcats knocked the Pacers down to two while also keeping the Bobcats high in the rankings.

“We just need to keep getting better each day, like usual,” said head coach Nolan Belcher.

“We just need to work and practice hard the right way. If we can do that consistently and improve each time we are out here, good things will happen at the end.”

GC has one more important conference series at home, April 2830, against Columbus State University. Both teams are currently tied, each with a conference record of 17-10 coming out of this weekend. This big series will determine the ranking of both teams going into the PBC Tournament the following weekend.