Darton eliminates the Golden Knights from the GCAA tournament

ALBANY, Georgia – West Georgia Tech’s baseball season came to an end here in the semifinal round of the GCAA/Region 17 Baseball Tournament with the Golden Knights dropping an elimination ballgame to tournament host and number-three-seed Darton State College Fridaynight, 13-5. 

Earlier in the day West Georgia Tech dropped an 8-0 decision to second-seeded Middle Georgia College.

West Georgia Tech won its first two games of the tournament, 9-1 over Gordon State on Wednesday and 2-1 over No. 17 Georgia Perimeter on Thursday, and had a 7-game winning streak going into Friday’s action.

WGTC closes the season 26-29 overall.

Darton State (42-13) will play Middle Georgia (38-13) in the championship game Saturday at noon with Darton having to win twice to win the championship.

The winner will join GCAA regular-season champion Georgia Perimeter in the East Central District Tournament next week in Morristown, Tenn. with an opportunity to advance to the NJCAA Division 1 World Series.

The Golden Knights fell behind early against Darton, giving up five runs in the first inning and another run in the second to trail 6-0 going into the third.

West Georgia Tech’s bats came alive in the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Jamie McKnight (South Paulding H.S. / Douglasville) hit a double to clear the bases and pull WGTC to within three runs at 6-3.

After a wild pitch advanced McKnight to third, Anthony Brown brought him home with a sacrifice fly and it was a 6-4 ballgame.

Trailing 7-4 an inning later, West Georgia Tech closed the gap to two again on a Beau Welborn sacrifice fly which made it 7-5.

It remained 7-5 until Darton added two runs in the sixth, another run in the seventh and then three in the eighth to give Darton a 13-5 advantage and end the game due to the 8-run mercy rule.

Beau Welborn led West Georgia Tech’s eight-hit attack going 2-for-5.

McKnight finished the day 1-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

Tyler Banks got the loss on the mound, after going just 1.2 innings and giving up six runs – four earned – on five hits.

Tyler Gunnin pitched 5.2 innings of relief and allowed six runs – three earned – on seven hits.

West Georgia Tech completes its second season as a Division 1 junior college, having advanced to this year’s postseason as the No. 5 seed, out of nine conference teams.