Point Park baseball traveled to Georgia to play three away games. Two of these games were losses to the Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies. Gwinnett is ranked number two nationally in the NAIA, while the Pioneers were ranked 20th. This was planned to be a nationally ranked tough battle but Point Park could not get the bats going as they would lose 10 to nothing in game one, and then 15 to four in their second matchup.
In the first matchup in Georgia, the Pioneers got shut out and lost 10 to nothing. The first inning was a quiet start where both teams would share a scoreless inning. In the second inning, the game got a little worrisome for the Pioneers, as the Grizzlies would score four runs in the second inning, to put the Pioneers down by a solid margin early in this game. Grizzlies’ senior Henry Davis hit his first homerun of the season in the third inning to extend the lead to four. The Pioneers hitting could not get going but Gwinnett stayed hot and scored five more runs in the sixth inning, for a 10 to nothing lead. The Pioneers ended the game scoreless, and their first loss of the season was tallied.
In between the two games against Gwinnett, Point Park got to play another seven-inning game. This matchup was against the Toccoa Falls Streaming Eagles. A disappointing precious matchup allowed the Pioneers to tell a different story in this matchup. The Pioneers came out hot, and never turned back. The first inning would be another slow start, as both teams did not score. The second inning was the start of the Pioneers’ domination, as they scored eight runs in that inning alone. The bases were loaded, with Crixtian Taveres at the plate. He used his good eye, and took a walk to bring in Eddie Javier Jr. for the first run of the game. The top of the order was back, and Omar Morillo took another walk to bring in the second run of the game. Isaac Santana came up to the plate and hit a single down the right field line for two runners batted in RBI. The pitching struggles for the Eagles continued, as a wild pitch brought in another score for Point Park. The Pioneers topped off this already dominated game with a single from center fielder Jared Campbell in the third inning to bring in two more runners, for a 10 to nothing lead. The Pioneers scored two more runs in the fourth inning on a one-run single from Omar Morillo, and a two-RBI double by Isaac Santana. Neither team scored the rest of the game, and Point Park received their fourth win of the season.
The third and final game of the baseball team’s trip to Georgia was another game against Gwinnett. The Grizzlies started out hot again, this one being a home run in the first inning. They then hit another in the second as well, both being solo shots resulting in a two-nothing Grizzlies lead. The Pioneers were looking to have a different result than they did in their first matchup versus Gwinnett, as they hit two solo home runs in the third inning, to tie the game at two apiece. This good piece of hitting did not seem to matter, as in the bottom of the third the Grizzlies scored a whopping eight runs to gain an 11 to two lead. Gwinnett scored two more in the fifth, and two more in the seventh. The Pioneers made an attempt to make a comeback with Jared Campbell’s two-run homerun in the seventh inning, but still lost 15 to four.
These two losses are the first games to go into the loss column for the Pioneers so far this season. Gwinnett is currently ranked second in the nation, and Point Park sits at 20. The Pioneers will look to bounce back as they travel to Florida and play five games, starting on February 23.
