AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against Montreat College on Saturday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium. GSW scored the first seven runs of the opening game to roll to an 8-3 win. Montreat was shutout in the nightcap, 3-0.
GSW continued its historic start by improving to 7-0 this spring. It's the first time GSW has been undefeated through seven games since joining the NCAA in 2006-07. Montreat dropped to 0-5 heading into Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.
GAME 1: GSW 8, MONTREAT 3
GSW hurlers racked up a season-high 15 strikeouts in the opener.
The Hurricanes jumped on Montreat with a pair of runs in the second inning, added two more in the third and another two in the fifth.
Southwestern starting pitcher Earl Dupree (2-0) exited after six innings with a 7-0 lead. Dupree held the Cavaliers to two hits and struck out nine.
GSW got at least one hit from seven of the nine starters in its batting order. Devyn Newberry, Brett Burgess and Davey King had two hits apiece. King belted a two-run double. Burgess legged out a triple in the fifth.
Michael Ranieri allowed all three Montreat runs in the seventh inning. Coty Graham calmly fanned all six batters he faced.
Montreat starter Jacob Veliz (0-1) went 4 2/3 innings, allowed six hits and three earned runs, walked three and struck out three.
GAME 2: GSW 3, MONTREAT 0 (7 inn.)
GSW starting pitcher Jordan McIlwain kept Montreat in check in the nightcap by throwing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball. McIlwain walked two and struck out eight.
Alex Kranick drove home the game-winning run in the third inning with a double to deep center field that scored Devyn Newberry. Kranick scored on the next play when Dakota Long singled to left.
Newberry added an insurance run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly.
Kranick was the only batter in Game 2 to have multiple hits. He was 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored.
Mitch Holloway threw a scoreless seventh to pick up his first save of the spring.
Montreat starter Daniel Collins (0-2) faced 24 batters in five innings of work and surrendered two earned runs while holding the Hurricanes to four hits. Collins walked four and struck out six.