Chargers sweep DH, win conference series
The Georgia Highlands College baseball team swept a doubleheader Saturday at South Georgia State to take three of four games in their series this week with the Hawks.
The Chargers won 8-2 and 8-7 Saturday to go with last Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Hawks at LakePoint. South Georgia State won the second game of the series Friday night, 9-6.
In the three games Friday and Saturday, John White was 5-for-10, scored five runs and drove in a run. Nick Piccapietra was 6-for-12 with one RBI.
Caleb McElwaney went 4-for-11, scored four runs, and drove in three in the three games over the weekend. Brandon Bell was 4-for-11 with a pair of RBIs. Devin Bilardello was also 4-for-11 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Matt Vaccaro finished the three games at South Georgia 3-for-12 with a three run homer and five RBIs.
Colby Taylor and Britt Buckelew picked up the two pitching wins. Taylor pitched into the fourth inning in Saturday's first game, allowed only one earned run on five hits, and fanned one Hawks batter. Buckelew got the second win Saturday by working the final two shutout innings in relief during an 8-7 win. Matthew Norton was saddled with Friday night's loss when he did not get through the first inning and the Chargers dropped a 9-6 decision.
With the series win, the Chargers move into a tie for third in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association standings with a 7-5 mark. The series also marks the mid-point of the conference schedule for Georgia Highlands.
GHC is 27-14 overall.
Gordon College currently leads the GCAA with a 9-3 conference record, followed by East Georgia at 11-5, Georgia Highland and Andrew College are 7-5, South Georgia State is 5-7, ABAC 5-11, and West Georgia Tech is 4-12.
The top six teams at the end of the regular season will play in the GCAA Championship Tournament at LakePoint the second week in May.
The regular season winner earns an automatic bid to the NJCAA District Tournament as will the tournament champion. If the regular season winner is also the tournament champion, then the second NJCAA bid goes to the tournament runner-up.
