Bulldogs get another sweep

Mississippi Gulf Coast's bats won the Bulldogs' first game Wednesday, and the arms closed out the second in a sweep at Baton Rouge.

Gulf Coast clobbered the Bears 18-3 in the first and shut them out 5-0 in the second. The Bulldogs have won their first four games of 2018.

"It's a good sign today," Bulldogs coach Rodney Batts said. "You win one game one way and win the other another way."

Batts talks about not having a weak spot in the lineup, and he got that in the opener. Eight of nine starters got hits, led by leadoff hitter Ike Williams (Fr, St. Martin/Biloxi) with three, including two doubles. He drove in four runs, as did Castor Lee (Fr, Gulfport/Gulfport).

"That first game, we got 18 hits. We swung the bat really well," Batts said. "We barreled up a lot of balls and drove a lot of gaps."

Brandon Parker (Fr, West Harrison/Saucier) had a home run, and the Bulldogs piled up six doubles. Logan McGrew (So, Sumrall/Sumrall) drove in three runs.

Josh Lewis (So, Theodore/Mobile Ala.) picked up the win on the mound, striking out eight in five innings. A pair of fifth-inning errors cost him three unearned runs. Truitt Smith (Fr, Stone/Wiggins) and Justin Dixon (R-Fr, Pass Christian/Carriere) each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

"Our pitchers, all day, were really good," Batts said. "We could have gotten out of there with two shutouts."

Cullan O'Shea (Fr, Mary G. Montgomery/Mobile, Ala.) struck out seven and allowed only two hits to get the win in the nightcap. Bailey Hargrave (R-So, Madison Central/Madison) and Jamarcus Lang (Fr, Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg) pitched the final two innings of the combined three-hitter.

Dylan Menhennett (So, Biloxi/Biloxi) slugged a second-inning home run for a 2-0 lead. Parker doubled, and Colby Cagle (So, West Harrison/Lizana) had two hits.

Gulf Coast returns to action Friday when Mineral Area visits Perkinston. First pitch at Ken "Curly" Farris Field is at 2 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.