GCSU played the USC Beaufort Sand Sharks in a three-game set, beginning with the series opener on Friday, March 7, and concluding with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 8. 

The Bobcats entered the contest with a 9-11 record. However, they led the Peach Belt Conference standings with an undefeated conference record of 3-0 after completing a sweep of the Augusta University Jaguars a week prior.

Entering the opener on Friday, coach Nolan Belcher looked to his ace, junior John Luke Glanton, to set the Bobcats up.

GCSU attacked the Sand Sharks quickly to open the game, as a pair of walks to junior infielder Gabe Wuerth and sophomore first base Braeden Smith had sophomore outfielder Hank Noonan set up with an RBI opportunity, to which he answered with an RBI single to the left side of the infield. A throwing error from the USC Beaufort catcher drove Smith in right after. 

Junior infielder Ben Hamacher and Smith teamed up to lead the fourth with a walk and a two-run home run. Shortly after, the Bobcats played station to station with the bases loaded. Carson Phillips walked, Wuerth singled, Hamacher walked and Smith walked to drive in four runs and bring the score to 8-0. 

“We worked the counts,” Smith said. “We slugged really well tonight. We had good at-bats, really happy with everyone’s play.”

However, the Sand Sharks showed some life in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Bobcats’ lead in half at 8-4.

GCSU answered back with four runs of their own an inning and a half later, as Hamacher drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, and senior infielder Matthew Mebane crushed a pitch deep to center field to drive in three runs. 

The USC Beaufort pitching quieted the Bobcat bats for an inning, but Smith walked once again to open the seventh, and a duo of singles from sophomore outfielder Keagan Baxter and junior outfielder Carson Phillips drove in two to complete the run-rule victory. 

“Got a big swing from Braeden Smith and a big swing from Mebane,” Belcher said. “It was good to see, and I’m very happy.”

Glanton pitched to the tune of 11 hits, giving up three earned runs and two walks while striking out five in his seven innings. 

“Very proud of Glanton,” Belcher said. “Wasn’t his best stuff today, but he continued to compete and kept us in the game.”

Game two of the series would, in turn, be the opener of a doubleheader, as Belcher sent out senior pitcher Bradley Wilson to secure the series victory.

Both starters shut down the opposing offenses to open the contest, but the Sand Sharks struck first to open game two of the series.

However, three consecutive doubles from junior catcher Rand Bestermann, Wuerth, and Hamacher to open the bottom of the third was the Bobcats’ answer, driving in two runs, and a single from Mebane drove in the third of the inning. 

A ball would strike Wuerth for a hit-by-pitch the following inning and walks to Hamacher and Smith set things up for Mebane to make some noise. Mebane sent the ball long over the right-centerfield fence for a grand slam, giving the Bobcats a 7-1 lead. 

Junior outfielder Evan Cowan made his way around the bases via a walk, a stolen base, a flyout from Baxter and a balk to add on another for the Bobcats. 

GCSU set things up for the run-rule victory again in the bottom of the sixth. Wuerth led the inning with a triple, scoring on a wild pitch. Noonan walked with the bases loaded, Cowan singled in a pair of runs and Noonan later scored on a wild pitch to bring the score to 13-1.

GCSU looked to close out the series with a sweep an hour later in the second game of the doubleheader, with senior pitcher Mason Brown starting for the Bobcats.

Neither pitcher let up through the first three innings, as both cruised until the Bobcat offense had seen enough of the zero in the runs column in the bottom of the fourth inning. A walk to Smith, his seventh of the series, and a hit-by-pitch to Noonan set things up for Baxter, to which he answered the call, hitting a home run to the opposite field to give the Bobcats a 3-0 lead. 

Cowan added on a pair of runs an inning later as he drove in Smith and Noonan, and the Sand Sharks got on the board with an RBI single.

GCSU played the doubles game once again in the bottom of the seventh, this time with three consecutive from Cowan, Baxter and Phillips to drive in three, followed by a shot straight down the line from freshman catcher/infielder J.D. Coleman, his first as a collegiate athlete, to bring the score to 10-1.

The Bobcats could not complete the run-rule victory in the contest, and the Sand Sharks scored another run in the top of the ninth via a ground out to shortstop, but the Bobcats still secured the sweep, winning 10-2.

“Very happy with our team after a sweep,” Belcher said. “It’s always tough to get a sweep in conference. All ten of our runs of game two today, came with two outs, which was favorable to see—a lot of clutch hits. Very impressed and happy for the guys, and hopefully we can build off of it.”

Since the series against the USC Beaufort, the Bobcats have gone 5-4. They won a series against Georgia Southwestern State University, fought and won against Emmanuel University and finished an off-and-on road trip with a series win against Flagler College. They currently sit second in the Peach Belt Conference standings.

The Bobcats season continues Tuesday, March 25 against Valdosta State University. This will be a revenge contest, as the Bobcats dropped a single game to the Blazers 5-1 following the series against the Sand Sharks.