GHC Chargers place third at NJCAA World Series

June 1, 2024 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

The Georgia Highlands College baseball team had its post-season run end Friday night with a 15-10 loss to the Blinn College Buccaneers at the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Chargers led 4-1 after two innings but the Buccaneers sent 13 men to the plate in an eight-run third inning to build a lead they would not relinquish.

Georgia Highlands narrowed their deficit to 11-9 in the fifth inning but Blinn got a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single in the next frame to extend the lead to 14-9. From there, each team added just one more run each in the eighth inning.

Blinn pitcher Bryson Dudley worked the final 4-⅔ innings to earn the victory. He allowed just one run — a solo shot by Clay Wiesen in the eighth inning — and took control of the game from the mound with seven strikeouts.

GHC starting pitcher Oliver Wood (2.2 IP, 5ER, 8H, 0BB, 4K) was charged with the loss but the Blinn bats and nine walks did damage much of the night. Kyle Stephenson (0.1 IP, 4ER, 4H, 1BB), Brodie Chestnutt (2 IP, 2ER, 3H, 3BB, 1K), Logan Spivey (1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 3BB, 2K), Andrew Arnold (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 1BB, 3K), and Reece Robertson (1 IP, 0R, 1BB, 2K) pitched in relief.

The Chargers’ bats were effective again. Wiesen homered twice and had three hits. CJ Blackwell (three RBI) and Luke Orfi also homered. 

Grayson Godbee (RBI) and Ryan Martin finished with three hits. Ali Banks (two RBI), Barrett Eldridge, and Ryan Wideman added one hit.

The Buccaneers (46-17) advance to the national championship game on Saturday night against Northwest Florida State (40-14). The Raiders were the other team to beat Georgia Highlands in the 10-team double-elimination tournament.

The Chargers won their first three games at the World Series. They had victories over McLennan College (Texas), Johnson County CC (Kansas), and Blinn before back-to-back losses to Northwest Florida State and a rematch with the Bucs.

Georgia Highlands finishes a banner year with a Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season title, the GACA tournament title, the Appalachian District championship, a third-place finish at the NJCAA World Series, and a 56-10 record.