CARROLLTON, Ga. - UWG baseball got back in the win column after an 8-3 road victory over Georgia College on Tuesday evening. 

West Georgia used a five-run second inning that included five hits and three walks to pull away from the Bobcats early for their 20th win of the season.

Jenson Barker made the start for the Wolves, pitching three innings while giving up two hits, and striking out four.

"Jenson was outstanding today. He did an outstanding job of getting ahead, keeping that slider in the zone, and keeping hitters off balance", said head coach Jeff Smith.

After sitting the Bobcats down in order in the top of the first, Barker got run support early, as the UWG bats erupted for a five-run inning in the second.

The Wolves loaded up the bases in the second thanks to a walk from Jackson Webb, a single from Anthony Calabro, and a double from Logan Fink. Davis Schwartz broke the ice with a two-out, two-run single that scored Fink and Calabro which was followed up by a two-run double from Brody Wortham that brought home Schwartz and Webb. UWG wasn't done in the inning, as Jonathan Logsdon singled to left, scoring Wortham to give the Wolves a 5-0 lead.

"Our hitters did an excellent job", coach Smith described. "They displayed great plate discipline and when they got their pitch, they jumped all over it."

Working with a five-run lead, Barker sat the Bobcats down in order in the top of the third to bring the hot West Georgia bats back up to the plate where they went down 1-2-3, sending us to the fourth inning.

After three shutdown innings from Barker, coach Jeff Smith made his first call to the bullpen as he called in Dominic Murgo to relieve Barker. Murgo got into trouble early after a single and a passed ball put a Bobcat runner on second with no one out to begin the fourth inning. The junior right hander would get out of the inning unscathed after retiring the next three batters in order.

A scoreless top half of the fifth for the Wolves sent us to the bottom half where coach Smith made his second call to the bullpen, bringing in Brycen Jones to relieve Dominic Murgo.

Jones surrendered a lead-off single in the bottom of the fifth. A wild pitch and a groundout advanced the runner to third with just one out in the inning before a big strikeout and groundout from Jones got the Wolves out of the jam, keeping the shutout intact.

Nick Morgan got the ball in the bottom half of the sixth, making his 12th appearance of the year. Morgan sat down Georgia College in order in the sixth to send us to the seventh.

The bats came back alive for UWG in the seventh, scoring three runs on three hits. 

Singles from Ladner and Logsdon and a walk from Moore quickly loaded the bases for the Wolves, bringing Fuzzy Furr to the plate. Furr would deliver on his RBI opportunity, as the senior singled to left field, scoring Ladner and Logsdon. Calabro added the third run of the inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly that scored Moore to give West Georgia an 8-0 lead.

Riley King got the call to the bullpen in the bottom half of the seventh to relieve Nick Morgan.

King walked two batters in the inning but would work around them to keep the shutout intact for UWG as we moved to the eighth.

After the Wolves went down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth, coach Smith made his fifth call to the bullpen, bringing in Jack Rasmussen to relieve King. 

The Bobcats would finally push a run across in their half of the eighth courtesy of an RBI-single from Austin Holloway. With Georgia College looking to add more in the inning, Rasmussen retired the side thanks to a 1-6-3 double play, taking us to the ninth.

Coach Smith turned to Jackson Hodnick to get the final three outs, relieving Jack Rasmussen.

It was a rocky start to the inning for Hodnick as the Bobcats were able to push two runs across before a line-out caught by Ladner ended the ball game.

With a huge series with playoff implications looming, coach Smith is as confident as ever in his ball club, "This team can compete with anybody."

West Georgia will be back in action on Friday at 6:00 p.m. for game one of a three-game series against Mississippi College.