FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
Tigers Sweep Middle Georgia, Host ABAC in First Round
on Saturday
The final weekend of the 2010 baseball season has loomed
over the South Georgia College Tigers’ collective heads for several weeks
now. The Tigers have enjoyed one of their best seasons this decade. They
sent messages throughout GJCAA Region XVII when they took two out of three
from both Georgia Perimeter and perennial powerhouse Young Harris. As SGC
slowly and steadily moved up the standings, there was one challenge that
remained. The number-one ranked (and defending state champion) Middle
Georgia College Warriors had run away with the conference this year and were
ranked among the top junior college baseball teams in the country. The last
weekend of the season, the red-hot Tigers and the Warriors would meet in
Douglas at George A. Cook Stadium to settle things once and for all.
A post-season berth wasn’t on the line; the Tigers had already taken care of
that. What was at stake for SGC was a home playoff series in the opening
round. In order to secure a spot in the top four and a coveted home
match-up, the Tigers had to take at least one game from Middle Georgia. It
wouldn’t be easy, considering that the Warriors had only lost three
conference games all year. The series began last Thursday with a single game
in Douglas. SGC went ahead and took care of business, stunning the Warriors
with an 11-6 win.
With the monkey off their back, the Tigers could sit back and focus on games
two and three without worrying about the pressure of earning home-field
advantage. The final two games of the series were originally scheduled for
Saturday but bad weather pushed the finale back to Sunday. The Tigers
weren’t going to let the Warriors come into their house and roll over them.
Though they had already accomplished what they wanted, the Tigers were
playing for pride. Few thought a sweep was possible. Fortunately, the SGC
baseball team didn’t listen to the pundits.
When the Warriors came out in the first inning and scored five runs off ace
Frank Ambrosino (6-3, 4.87), the Tigers didn’t panic. The confident Tigers
offense went to work and scored two in the first, four in the second, two in
the fifth and two in the eighth to take a slim 10-7 lead. In the top of the
seventh, Ambrosino gave up one run on two hits and threw a wild pitch. Head
coach Scott Sims felt like Ambrosino had seen enough; in the top of the
eighth, Tony Albritton (4-5, 6.63) entered the game. Albritton cruised
through the eighth with little trouble. The ninth, however, was a different
story. An error allowed T.J. Rich to reach base to lead off the inning. A
walk put runners on first and second with nobody out. Javy Sujo followed
with a double that scored Rich. Coach Sims pulled Albritton and sent in
David O’Neal (3-1, 3.53). Josh Purvis hit into a fielder’s choice that
scored Jonathan Hester from third. Just like that, the Warriors were within
one. Heine Rivera then reached base on a fielder’s choice. With two outs and
Rivera on first, O’Neal struck out Tony Cannady to end the game and secure
the 10-9 win for SGC. Ambrosino took the win and O’Neal the save.
Game two of the double header also featured some late-inning heroics. This
time, however, the Tigers had to come from behind in their final at-bat
instead of trying to keep the Warriors off the board. SGC struck first with
one run in the bottom of the first when Andrew Anderson drove in Stuart Drew
on an error by Jonathan Hester. After that, it was all Middle Georgia as the
Warrior scored one run each in the second, third, fourth and sixth innings.
The Tigers trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the sixth.
They must have remembered that a sweep was on the line. David Reid-Foley led
off with a single. Logan Gaines followed with a single of his own. Zach
Bennett hit a one-out double that scored Reid-Foley and moved Gaines to
third. Seth Foster, who was pinch hitting for Bray Bishop, grounded out to
third. However, Gaines scored to bring the Tigers to within one run. The
inning ended one batter later with the Warriors leading 4-3.
In the top of the ninth, reliever Zack Hula (4-2, 5.71), who entered the
game in the sixth inning in relief of starter Justin Fordham (4-3, 6.29),
held Middle Georgia scoreless to give his team a chance to make a
last-inning comeback. In the bottom of the ninth, Jamie Fullington struck
out to open the inning. Then Jake Gower reached on a walk. He advanced to
second on a Kenny Sanderson single. Reid-Foley came up next and reached on
an infield single that loaded the bases. That brought up Gaines, who, after
a slow start earlier in the season, turned into one of the Tigers’ most
potent offensive weapons. Middle Georgia coach Craig Young pulled in his
outfield to limit damage should a ball get out of the infield.
Gaines, however, had other plans. He locked in on a Jarrett Leverett
offering and drove the ball deep to center and over the head of
centerfielder Heine Rivera. Gower and Sanderson scored easily to give the
Tigers a 5-4 victory and the sweep over the mighty Middle Georgia Warriors.
The three wins catapulted the Tigers into second place with a 14-7
conference record (37-19 overall). The first round of the playoffs begins
Saturday afternoon at Cook Stadium when the ABAC Stallions come to town for
a double-header. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. If a third game is
necessary, it will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday.
# # # #
About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System
of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives
students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close
collaboration with faculty.
