Box Score CARROLLTON, Ga. - A five-run top of the ninth in Americus, Ga. was the difference in the ball game on Tuesday evening as the West Georgia Wolves erased a 7-3 deficit to take an 8-7 victory over Georgia Southwestern in non-conference play.
It was the third late-inning rally for the Wolves in the last four games, as West Georgia won two games against Auburn Montgomery this past weekend on walk-off home runs. The win moves West Georgia to 9-6 on the year and Georgia Southwestern falls to 4-11.
The first three innings offensively for the Wolves looked dramatically different to the rest of the game, as
Brody Wortham and
Collin Moore delivered back-to-back doubles to open the game, scoring a run without allowing Georgia Southwestern to record an out. UWG continued to pour it on as Moore stole third, then scored on a sacrifice fly from
Sam Ladner.
Davis Schwartz walked, then moved to third on a single from
Fuzzy Furr to set up
Jonathan Logsdon's sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 in the early going of the game.
Georgia Southwestern responded with a run in the bottom of the first, then scored three more in the bottom of the second to take a 4-3 advantage in the game.
West Georgia then took advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batter in the top of the third, loading the bases with one out in the inning. But that was as close as the Wolves would get to scoring, as the Hurricanes retired consecutive UWG batters to end the threat. That would be the last scoring threat until the top of the ninth inning, as the Wolves failed to get a hit in each of the next five innings.
Edgar Cruz ended the hitless streak with a one-out hit in the ninth.
On the opposite side, Georgia Southwestern scored a pair of runs in the seventh, then another solo run in the eighth to take a 7-3 lead in to the top fo the ninth.
Jackson Webb drew a one-out walk in the inning, then Cruz delivered an opposite field single to give the Wolves runners at first and second with just one out. The red hot Wortham golfed a single into center field, loading the bases for Moore, who walked to bring home the fourth run of the game for West Georgia. Two batters later,
Davis Schwartz did the same, making ait 7-5 with the bases still loaded, two outs and
Fuzzy Furr to the plate. Furr drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch, cutting the lead to 7-6 and bringing Logsdon to the plate.
The sophomore second baseman delivered with a double down the right field line, scoring two runs and giving the Wolves an 8-7 advantage.
Ronny Piepmeier, who came into pitch in the eighth, returned to the mound to close out the game. The first batter flied out to center, followed by a single. Piepmeier then struck out the next Hurricane and had Georgia Southwestern down to its final out. After a walk, Piepmeier induced a flyout to right-center that Schwartz smothered, completing the comeback victory.
Wortham was 2-for-4 on the day, extending his hitting streak to 28 games dating back to the 2021 season. Piepmeier picked up the win, his first of the season.
West Georgia will be on the road this weekend, taking on the Union Bulldogs in Gulf South Conference action in Jackson, Tennessee. The games are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday currently, but stay tuned to @UWGAthletics on social media throughout the remainder of the week for updates on spring weather conditions.
