AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team opened its 10-game homestand with an 11-6 win over the NAIA's 19th-ranked team, Middle Georgia State University, on Wednesday evening at Hurricane Stadium.
GSW ran its non-conference record to 14-0 this spring and overall mark to 16-13, while Middle Georgia fell to 24-9.
After spotting the Knights a 4-0 lead in the first inning, GSW pushed across its first run in the second with a RBI single from Will Redding.
Back-to-back two-out singles from Devyn Newberry and Evan Alderman set up a two-run fourth inning for the Hurricanes.
GSW grabbed the lead in the fifth when Davey King brought home Dakota Long and Zach Barron with a single down the right-field line.
Alex Kranick added some much needed insurance in the sixth inning with a three-run blast to left, his second home run of the season. Turned out the rally wasn't complete as Jared Jones drilled a double to left-center field later in the inning to plate Barron and Brett Burgess.
Long drove in the Hurricanes final run of the game in the seventh with a RBI double down the right-field line to score Kranick.
Middle Georgia pushed across two runs in the ninth.
Long finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, RBI and run scored. Alderman, ranked fourth in walks in the latest NCAA Division II stats report, added a pair of free passes to go with two hits. Kranick had three RBIs while King and Jones added two apiece.
Clint Wynn, Andy Mocahbee and Bryce Todd led Middle Georgia at the plate with two hits apiece. Mocahbee drove in a pair as well.
GSW used four different pitchers in the game. Starter Dylan Brown (3-0) shook off the first inning to follow with 4 2/3 scoreless. He allowed six hits, walked five and struck out two. Matt Hubbard kept Middle Georgia off the board for 1 1/3 innings while Kyle Spinks struck out two in his scoreless frame. Mitch Holloway covered the ninth and was charged with two runs - one earned - and two hits.
Middle Georgia starting pitcher John Hartzog (1-3) tossed four innings, allowed five earned runs and six hits. Dalton DeLay was tagged for four runs in 1 1/3 innings on the hill. Nick Junger surrendered two runs in 1 2/3 innings and Stetson Walker kept GSW scoreless in the eighth.
Southwestern welcomes Augusta University to town on Friday for Game 1 of a Peach Belt Conference weekend series at 5 p.m.
