GCSU Moves on at World Series, Beat Central Missouri 9-4
CARY, N.C. – No. 4 Georgia College & State University
baseball (41-16) pounded out 10 hits and a tournament-best nine
runs en route to a 9-4 win over No. 3 University of Central
Missouri (52-11) Wednesday, advancing to the next round of the
Division II College World Series.
The win advances the Bobcats to the final four of this
year’s Division II Championships. Georgia College will take
on No. 9-ranked University of Southern Indiana Thursday, May 27 at
3 p.m.
Senior righthander Brendon Malkowski (Schenectady, N.Y.) entered
in the fourth and went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits
and no walks while fanning nine. The six innings of work was the
most for the reliever Malkowski (6-1) since April 3.
“I had the fastball working for me again,” said
Malkowski. “I got one strikeout on a split change, but the
rest was the fastball. I felt great.”
Head coach Tom Carty remarked on the big righty’s effort in
relief.
“Brendon was huge for us today,” said Carty.
“He’s a guy that can throw the fastball upstairs on
purpose, he rises through the zone well. We’ve been working
with him on setting up hitters low in the zone, making that high
fastball that much more effective.”
The Bobcats jumped out in front with a pair in the bottom of the
first, when leftfielder Kyle Allen (Conyers, Ga.) led the game with
a single, scoring on rightfielder Shawn Ward’s (Martinez,
Ga.) single. Ward later came around himself on a Mule error.
After the Mules took a 4-3 lead in the top of the third thanks to
a four-hit inning, the Bobcats responded in a big way, putting four
runs across. Third baseman Steve Muoio (Rochester, N.Y.) started
the scoring with an RBI single, plating Allen who tripled. Ward
then scored another run with a sacrifice fly. After an out, catcher
Richard Pirkle (Norcross, Ga.) ripped a two run blast to left field
for a 6-4 lead.
“Momentum is one of the biggest factors in team sports in my
mind,” said Ward of taking the lead right back from the Mules
in the third. “We hadn’t had the bats going for quite a
while and it was nice to finally support all of this great pitching
we’ve been given.”
While Malkowski was throwing up goose-eggs, the bats continued to
stretch the lead. Ward’s sacrifice fly in the fifth made it
7-4, while a pinch-hit solo home run by Andrew Evans
(Milledgeville, Ga.) made it 8-4 in the sixth. Centerfielder Sean
Harrell (Martinez, Ga.) capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in
the eighth.
Ward finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run, while Allen scored
twice on a 2-for-4 day. Muoio was also 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Harrell scored twice and drove in one on a 1-for-1 day, tallying a
pair of walks and two sacrifices.
Mule starter Mitch Stubenhoffer (3-1) suffered his first loss of
the season, not making it out of the third inning. He allowed five
earned runs on five hits and a walk. At bat, shortstop Bret
Schwartz was the only multi-hit performer at 2-for-3.