AMERICUS, GA -- The Georgia Southwestern State Hurricanes won the 2023 Peach Belt Conference baseball tournament on Saturday with a pair of wins over Young Harris College. After Friday's scheduled opener was rained out, the Hurricanes defeated YHC 5-4 and 9-2 on Saturday to take the crown. Had a third game been necessary, it would have been played on Sunday.
With the wins, GSW claims the PBC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and improve to 34-17 on the season. YHC sees their record move to 38-17.
GSW wins their first-ever PBC Tournament title.
Game One
The opening game featured a pitcher's duel in the opening frames as GSW's Nick McCollum and YHC's Nate Lamb matched zero for zero on the scoreboard for the first four innings. YHC broke through in the top of the fifth as Rome Wallace and Drew Bray hit back-to-back solo home runs for a 2-0 Mountain Lions lead.
GSW answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth as Paul Hegeman hit a solo home run, followed by a triple from George Davis. Davis then scored on a wild pitch to tie the score at two.
GSW took the lead in the seventh as Chris Patterson led off with a single, followed by Hegeman who was hit by a pitch. Jake Blinstrub was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Patterson scored as Miles Hartsfield was hit by a pitch.
Young Harris answered with two runs in eighth to re-take the lead 4-3. Marco Colina delivered the big blow with a two-run single to center field.
Davis singled with one out in the ninth for the Hurricanes and moved to second on a walk from Garrett Bradley walked and Hartsfield was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Matthew Mamatas, who entered the game as a defensive sub, then had the walk-off game-winning two-run single to give GSW a 5-4 win. The RBIs were Mamatas' first two of the season.
Game Two
Georgia Southwestern jumped out to an early lead and cruised in for a 9-2 win to claim the title. The Hurricanes scored three runs in the top of the first on Hegeman's two run double followed by an RBI single from Patterson.
Young Harris responded in the bottom of thesecond with two runs as GSW starter Rijnaldo Euson gave up a bases-loaded walk followed by an RBI fielder's choice to James Basham.
GSW added a run in the fourth on a Hartsfield RBI single, another in the fifth on a sac fly from Patterson and two more in the sixth on a Kalvin Alexander two-run home run.
YHC was kept in check by Euson, who earned All-Tournament honors after pitching eight innings with five hits and two runs allowed. He walked three and struck out 10.
Tournament MVP Colby Gordon came in and closed out the game for the Hurricanes. Gordon appeared in all five tournament games for GSW, going 2-0 with a save and one earned run allowed in 10 innings.
The NCAA selection show will begin a 11pm on Sunday night live at ncaa.com
All-Tournament Team
Derek Wylie, Columbus State
Joel Haney, USC Aiken
Drew Bray, Young Harris
Rome Wallace, Young Harris
James Basham, Young Harris
Rinjaldo Eusom, Georgia Southwestern
Matthew Mamatas, Georgia Southwestern
Paul Hegeman, Georgia Southwestern
Tournament MVP
Colby Gordon, Georgia Southwestern