Georgia Perimeter captures GCAA Region 17 Championship

The  Georgia Perimeter College baseball team finished the regular season in first place and held on to that position by capturing the GCAA Region 17 championship. The Jaguars were already guaranteed a spot in the district championship but walking away with the region championship secured them number seed from Georgia in this week's district tournament .

Matt Taylor’s two-run home run led a six-run fourth inning, and the Jaguars defeated Darton State College 13-3 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association championship game Saturday in Albany.

The Jaguars scored in each of the first six innings and the six-run fourth inning put the game out of reach. GPC added runs in the fifth and sixth on a sacrifice fly by Bryant, plating Sheffield, and an RBI single by Schwartz, scoring Curry.

Back-to-back doubles by Thompson and Luis Salas put two more on the scoreboard for Darton in the sixth and seventh.

The Jaguars pounded out 10 hits with Lindley, Morgan Bunting and Taylor getting two hits apiece while tooking advantage of nine walks by Cavalier pitchers and five errors by the defense. Meanwhile, the Jags committed two errors, and their pitchers walked but one.

Dustin Beggs (10-4) earned the win, giving up two runs and six hits in six innings of work. Dylan Williams relieved Beggs in the seventh and allowed a run and three hits but contained the Cavaliers in his two innings of work, striking out three. J.T. Phillips closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

The Jaguars cruised through the double-elimination tournament as they defeated Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College 6-3 on Thursday, and Friday defeated Middle Georgia State College with a 3-1 win.

The district tournament features the top two teams from Georgia and Tennessee. Joining GPC and Darton in the district tournament will be Columbia State Community College (Clifton, Tenn.), ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA and winner of the Tennessee regular-season championship and tournament championship. Motlow State Community College (Lynchburg, Tenn.), runner-up in the conference tournament, rounds out the field.

The winner of the double elimination district tournament advances to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

All of the East-Central District tournament games will be audio broadcast online. To listen, visit the GCAA homepage, click on the date on the calendar and click on the "A" under game listed and it will link you to the game audiocast.