Reigning GCAA Champions, Georgia Military College Bulldogs opened up their 2023 season this past weekend in Clearwater, Florida, at the Adidas JUCO Kickoff Classic. The Bulldogs went 2-3 on the weekend.
The Bulldogs faced off against Eastern Florida in the tournament's opening game; both teams scored two runs in the first inning. Lily Griffith led with a single and advancing Kaitlyn Hallman, who reached on an error. Paris Kirby and Avery Mercer each drove in runs with a groundout and sac fly, respectively. Those two runs held as sophomore pitcher Avien Trull battled to leave the Titans scoreless for the next nine innings, sending the game into international tie-breaker rules in the tenth inning. The tenth inning began with a runner on second; the Bulldogs could not advance, and the Titans scored the winning run off a two-out single to left field, defeating the Bulldogs 3-2.
GMC bounced back in the day's second game, beating Miami Dade College 3-1. The Sharks scored their only run in the first inning, off a Bulldog error, before being shut down by freshman pitcher Addie Moss. Bulldogs tied the game in the sixth inning; Avery Mercer led with a double, and pinch runner Karleigh Taylor scored on a squeeze bunt by Ava Anglin. Bulldogs scored two runs to take the lead and the win in the top of the seventh inning, giving Moss her first Bulldog win.
Saturday morning began with a battle against Indian River State College. The Bulldogs opened up the scoring. Paris Kirby reached on a hit-by-pitch, advanced to second on a passed ball, and then scored on an RBI single by Mercer. The Pioneers answered by scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Bulldogs cut the score to 6-5 in the third inning. Hallman led things off with a double to left field; she was driven home on a two-out single by Anglin, the first of three hits in a row. Bella Owens and Katelynn Anglin also had singles, with Katelynn Anglin scoring Ava Anglin. The Pioneers were able to pick up some insurance runs and shut down the Bulldogs for the remainder of the game.
On Saturday, the Bulldog's middle game of the series saw them facing off with the Bantams from USC Union. Trull retook the mound in a stellar performance, allowing no runs on one hit in a five-inning shutout win. Griffith and Mercer again paired up for a first-inning run, along with Savannah White, as Griffith led off with a single and advanced to third on a single by Mercer. White picked up her first RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Griffith. Bulldogs added four runs in the third inning and three more in the fifth to end the game in a rule-run defeat. Trull picked up two hits as White, Katelynn Anglin, Tori Cameron, Emma Riner, and Karleigh Taylor all picked up one hit each.
The weekend's final game was a tough contest against Seminole State College Raiders; the Bulldogs lost 4-3. Following the weekend trend, Bulldogs scored two runs to start the game. Griffith reached on a leadoff error, reached second base on a stolen base, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Raiders before being driven home by a single by Mercer. Kirby walked and scored from first on a line drive double by Ava Anglin. Bulldogs held a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the second inning when the Raiders took advantage of two Bulldog errors, resulting in a 3-2 lead. Bulldogs tied the game at three, all when Hallman scored on a single by Kirby. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Raiders scored one run to take a 4-3 lead.
Head Coach Ashley Bunn commented, "Playing in this tournament early on allows us to compete against tough competition, see where we stand, and the areas we need to improve on moving forward. We were able to move a lot of players around and get everyone some opportunities this weekend. Although our record says we have three losses, we were in each of those games and, moving forward, have to find a way to win those. I'm proud of how we competed and believe we will continue improving as the season progresses."
The Bulldogs host the Raiders from Roane State Community College in their season home opener this Friday, February 3rd. Games are at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm at Couch Field.