HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Coastal Georgia fought hard in its NAIA National Tournament debut Monday afternoon at Joseph & Nancy Fail Field, but dropped a tough 3-2 decision to Georgia Gwinnett to fall to 37-13 on the season. The Mariners had their chances but were unable to break through against a sharp performance from Grizzly pitcher Kailyn Berry, who went the distance and kept Coastal Georgia at bay when it mattered most.
Georgia Gwinnett grabbed the early advantage in the first, with Morgan McQuagge doubling and eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by Sara Roussel to make it 1-0. Coastal Georgia answered with its best inning of the game in the second, stringing together three consecutive hits and a hit by pitch to load up the bases. McKenzie Collins came through with the biggest swing of the afternoon, lining a two-run double to left center to score Maddy Lee and Mackenzie Southerland and give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
The Grizzlies clawed back in the fifth when Enna Lackey delivered an RBI single to tie the game at two, and added what proved to be the decisive run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by McQuagge following a leadoff triple by Summer Hickson. Coastal Georgia had opportunities to respond in the late innings, putting runners on base in the seventh, but Berry was equal to the challenge and retired the final batters to secure the Grizzly victory.
Emilia Clemons was solid in her 4.2 innings of work, allowing just two earned runs while doing everything she could to keep the Mariners in the game. Mills came on in relief and limited the damage the rest of the way, but the offense was unable to produce the timely hit needed to turn things around.
Collins was the standout performer at the plate, finishing with a hit and two RBI in what was a strong individual effort. Lee reached base and scored, Southerland drew a walk and scored in the second, and Perdue and Jones each added hits to keep the Mariner lineup competitive throughout.
Coastal Georgia will need to regroup quickly as tournament play continues. The Mariners remain in the hunt and will look to battle their way through the bracket.
