FLORENCE, SC – Senior first baseman Matt Pitts recorded a pair of hits and drove in two runs to back the seven-hit complete-game effort of senior righty Martin Dewald as ninth-ranked and third-seeded Georgia College & State University edged eighth-ranked and fourth-seeded Mount Olive College, Thursday afternoon (May 13) in the opening game of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament.

The Bobcats improve to 36-15 and advance to face fourth-ranked and second-seeded Columbus State University on Friday at 7 p.m.  Mount Olive (40-10) faces 17th-ranked and sixth-seeded Erskine College on Friday at 3 p.m.

Dewald (10-2) struck out five and walked only one while throwing 123 pitches.  He got a an outstanding defensive play by second baseman Jason Veyna  to close out the game and strand the potential tying run on second base.

Knotted up at 2-2 after six frames, the Trojans took advantage of a two-out double by Joseph Westbrook off the glove of diving third baseman Paul Bordon into left.  Westbrook then came home on a single by Topher Ellis.

The Bobcats answered back in the bottom half of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs. Bobcat centerfielder Sean Harrell beat out a double-play ball to plate Andrew Evans, and Pitts registered an infield single as Bordon slid underneath the tag attempt at the plate giving Georgia College a 4-3 lead.

“Winning close games like this in the post season is something we've spent all season trying to learn how to do,” said GCSU head coach Tom Carty. “Today we overcame some tough breaks and held on to win, and that's what playing good playoff baseball is all about.”

After the Trojans went in order in the eighth, designated hitter Michael Knox poked a one-out single in the top of the ninth. His pinch runner, Kyle Hinrichs, moved to second on wild pitch with two outs.  Westbrook then hit a sinking liner toward Veyna at second and as the ball caromed off the dirt, Veyna used his chest to keep it in front, and then fired a strike to first to retire the batter despite a head-first dive at the bag.

Mount Olive southpaw Jackson Massey (7-2) went six innings, allowing the four runs on seven hits and three walks, and was tagged with the loss.

For the Bobcats, Pitts finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Evans was 3-for-4 and right fielder Shawn Ward was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the sixth.

Knox was 2-for-2, including a towering two-run home run in the fourth, his 24th round-tripper of the year.   Westbrook was 2-for-4 and scored a run.  Mount Olive right field Jeremy Nowak was held hitless (0-for-4) for only the second time in 50 contests this season. 

“I thought the kids played well,” said Trojan head coach Carl Lancaster. “The difference was their (Georgia College and State's) infield defense. They made a lot of big plays, especially that last play.”

“Jackson (Massey) threw a good ballgame, just got into some trouble in the seventh,” said Lancaster. “Dewald showed why he was the pitcher of the year in the Peach Belt. It doesn't matter what the count is. There's never a hitter's count with Dewald.”

Knox joined Lancaster in crediting Georgia College and State's defense.  “I thought we hit the ball well, they just made some great plays.  If one or two of those balls fall, it's a different game.”

“The conference tournament showed that we're capable of overcoming a loss to win the title,” said Knox. “We're still in this tournament and if we can get some balls to fall, we have as good a chance as anyone to win this.”