No. 25 Bulldogs get blowout in season-opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Florida Post-Grad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 15 | 18 | 0 |
PERKINSTON — No. 25 Mississippi Gulf Coast got the 2026 baseball season off to a roaring start Thursday, beating Florida Post-Grad 15-1 in seven innings at Ken "Curly" Farris Field.
The Bulldogs pounded out 18 hits, allowed just two and made some sparkling plays in the field.
"That's what we're looking to do every time we go out there, and it doesn't matter the opponent we play," Gulf Coast coach Zach Allen said "It was a complete game. We pitched it well, fielded it well and every position guy was able to get an at-bat. That's a good start to a season."
Garrett Gardner (Fr., Madison/Madison-Ridgeland Academy) went 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles and five RBI. Erimel Rosado (So., Dorado, Puerto Rico/Centennial) had two hits, including a two-run homer, and four RBI.
Ben Davis (Fr., Lucedale/George County) also had two of the Bulldogs' seven doubles.
"We swung it really well, splitting some gaps," Allen said. "That's good to see. There wasn't much weak contact. You slap some doubles and get a couple of home runs early in the season, so that's good. It doesn't matter who's throwing against you, when you're putting good at-bats together, it's going to be hard to get beat."
Three Bulldogs combined to strike out 10 without a walk and only allow two hits. Griffin Wells (So., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) started and struck out six in three innings, with James Vines (So., Clinton, La./Silliman Institute) striking out three in two innings. Riley Hall (Fr., Mobile, Ala./Faith Academy) closed out the game.
"We wanted to let them touch the mound against another opponent," Allen said. "Those three guys are gonna be really hard to beat."
Gulf Coast is back in action next week against Clark State from Ohio. The teams will play doubleheaders Thursday and Friday at Ken "Curly" Farris Field, with the first pitch on the first day at 4 p.m.
For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
