MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of West Georgia baseball team opened the 2021 diamond campaign with a Gulf South Conference sweep of Auburn Montgomery on Sunday.

The Wolves captured an 8-3 victory in Game 1 and closed out the twin bill with a 6-4 triumph over the Warhawks at the AUM Baseball Complex. Game 3 is set for 3 p.m. on Monday.

Game 1
The Wolves (2-0, 2-0 GSC) built a 4-0 advantage through five innings, which was more than enough for junior hurler Robert Coleman.

Coleman tattooed the strike zone for six shutout frames, yielding just three hits with one walk and five strikeouts to set the tone for the visitors.

The UWG offense struck first in the top of the third when junior left fielder Ethan Brant blasted a one-out solo shot over the left-field fence for the first run of the season.

The Wolves tacked on two more runs in the fourth after junior third baseman Collin Moore led off the inning with a double and came around to score on an RBI double by sophomore right fielder John Michael McRae. In the next at-bat, junior shortstop Joseph Hill reached on an error and McRae was able to motor home for the 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the fifth, Brant connected on his second of three hits for the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Moore to push the score to 4-0. In the seventh, Moore stroked an RBI double and Hill added an RBI groundout for the 6-0 margin.

The Warhawks (0-2, 0-2) plated a single run in the seventh and two more in the eighth, but the Wolves got the two runs back in the top of the ninth on a Warhawk error.

West Georgia busted out 13 hits in Game 1, led by Brant (3-for-4, HR, 2 runs, RBI), while Moore (2-for-3, 2 2B, 3 runs, 2 RBI), junior center fielder Jason Fointno (2-for-5, BB) and sophomore second baseman Brody Wortham (2-for-5) also had multiple-hit efforts.

Game 2
In the nightcap, the Wolves proved resilient by answering every Warhawk rally to prevail in the two-run decision for the Sunday sweep.

The Wolves plated a pair of runs in the top of the first on an RBI sacrifice fly by Moore and Wortham scoring on a wild pitch. AUM got a run back in the home half of the first for the 2-1 tally.

Following three scoreless frames, AUM tied the game up at 2-2 by capitalizing on an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth.

The Wolves answered in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs on an RBI base knock by senior first baseman Dan Oberst, an error and an RBI double off the bat of designated hitter Joe Skinner.

AUM scored two runs on three hits in the home half of the seventh to pull within 5-4, but the Wolves retaliated in the top of the eighth, fueled by a leadoff triple from Oberst, followed by a base knock from Moore for his second RBI of the game and fourth of the day.

Oberst (2-for-4, 3B, 2 runs, RBI) and Wortham (2-for-5, 2 runs) led the UWG offense in Game 2.

Freshman starter Andrew Smith tossed 4.2 innings of work, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and four punchouts, while Peyton Berry slammed the door shut on AUM, firing 2.2. innings of relief, yielding no earned runs on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.