Baseball takes three of four from West Georgia

In a nerve wracking double header on Feb. 13, the Georgia College baseball team overtook the West Georgia Wolves. The Bobcats surpassed the Wolves 2-1 in nine innings in game one and 6-5 in seven innings in game two.

Sophomore lefty Mike Guinane pitched a gem in game one, allowing only one unearned run on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts, just one out shy of a complete game.

“It felt good. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my catcher, Richard Pirkle. He’s given me a lot of confidence out there. Also, my center fielder, Patrick Daugherty; he really stepped it up in defense,” Guinane said. “Luke (McKay) and Tanner (Funk) also made a lot of plays this game.”

In the first inning, junior Patrick Daugherty singled to get on base. After a wild pitch and advancing to second, Daughtery stole third to get into scoring position. Junior Josh Young then walked. After the catcher threw the ball away, Daugherty scored and Young advanced to third.

Senior Richard Pirkle then drove in Daugherty with a sac fly. The inning soon ended, leaving it the only one in which the Bobcats scored.

After 8 2/3 innings, senior Tanner Moore came in to get the save, giving the Bobcats the victory.

Game two was no less angst-ridden than the first. A busy first six innings for the Wolves, including a three run homer, the Bobcats were down 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Not readily defeated, the Bobcats rallied back. With one out, Tanner Funk lined to left for a double. After a ground out, Benton Yaun was at the plate, and with his base hit to left center, Funk scored, making the score 5-4.

In the bottom of the seventh, Daugherty got a base hit. After stealing second, Jim Moreland got a walk, and Young laid down a beautiful bunt. The catcher made an over throw and Daugherty scored the tying run. With runners now on second and third, Moreland made a dash into home after a wild pitch, scoring the winning run for the Bobcats. After this tight doubleheader, the Bobcats are still hoping to improve to an even better game of play.

“You’re always happy when you win in any sport. But we’re really not playing to the standard of Georgia College baseball,” Head Coach Tom Carty said.

In earlier action over the the weekend, the Bobcats and Wolves met at West Georgia on Feb. 11, splitting a doubleheader. Georgia College came out on top 8-2 in game one behind senior right hander Eric Pettepher’s strong six-inning performance, in which he scattered eight hits around and striking out four. The Bobcats had a huge, five-run second inning thanks to a three-run homer by Daugherty and a two-run blast by Funk.

The Bobcats weren’t as fortunate in the second game, as they fell 10-4. They managed only four hits, three doubles and a solo homer by Pirkle.

The Bobcats will be back at it again at home on Feb. 18 versus Pfeiffer at 3:00 p.m.