News and Updates

Hawks avenge Tuesday loss, defeat Chargers 10-7 in Cartersville on Friday afternoon

Tuesday, the South Georgia State College Hawks had the #15-ranked Georgia Highlands Chargers on the ropes at Crider Field in Douglas. The Hawks had a 3-1 lead after six innings when the Chargers did what elite teams do – they refused to quit and scored six runs over the final three innings. Then they held off the Hawks’ own comeback bid in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-5.

Friday afternoon, the Hawks left nothing to chance when they faced the Chargers again, this time in Cartersville. The Hawks found themselves down again, trailing 6-3 after five innings. Then they took a page out of Georgia Highlands’ book and scored five in the seventh and two in the ninth to take a big conference game away from the Chargers, 10-7.

Three pitchers took the mound with Blake Hughes, the second pitcher of the game, earning the win. He went three innings and gave up two earned runs on two hits while striking out four and walking one. Hayden Gmerek threw the final 2 2/3 innings for the save. Starter Jared Webb went 3 1/3 innings.

Down by three late in the game, the SGSC bats woke up in the seventh. With one out, Tanner Langley ground out to short; however, Diego Gonzales, who led off the inning with a single, scored. Danny Vigille-grant followed with a grounder to first that was misplayed, allowing Payton Bryant to score and get the Hawks within one. Jesse Brown walked, putting runners on first and second. Then Steven Tavares-Batista delivered the coup de grace, a three-run homer to left that put the Hawks up 8-6.

The Chargers got within one in the bottom of the inning. Two innings later, SGSC scored a pair of two-out runs when Brice Marchman drove in Langley on a single and Gavin Hamrick drove in Jesse Brown on another single for a 10-7 lead that ultimately proved to be the margin of victory.

Langley, Marchman, Hamrick, and Bryant each had two hits. Marchman doubled while Bryant and Tavares-Batista both homered. Brown scored three runs and Hamrick drove in three.

The Hawks are now 24-16 overall and an even 6-6 in their Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association schedule. They don’t have much time to revel in their good fortune; SGSC and Georgia Highlands play a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.

SGSC's Steven Tavares-Batista (pictured singling in a home game earlier this season) and Payton Bryant homered in the Hawks' 10-7 win over Georgia Highlands Friday afternoon. Robert Preston Jr./DouglasNow.com