Back in the fall, the SGSC Hawks had a formidable pitching staff in place. The Hawks had an impressive fall campaign and looked poised to make a run at the GCAA championship when the spring season rolled around.
Then came the injuries.
SGSC lost its top three arms to season-ending injuries, leaving the pitching corps reeling and trying to find its way. You could see it in the results. The Hawks could score runs and put up some impressive offensive totals. But they had problems keeping their opponents off the scoreboard. The 2026 Hawks have played some of the highest scoring games in recent memory. This month alone, SGSC has won games by scores of 10-7, 14-7, and 19-14. They’ve also lost games 20-2, 13-3, 14-6, 17-5, and 15-14.
Then Saturday happened. Head coach Jeff Timothy and his coaching staff have tried everything they could to right the ship. Nothing has worked. When Gordon State came to town for a Saturday doubleheader, they needed someone to step up.
Coach Timothy gave the ball to Matt Misiti, a redshirt right-hander from Winter Park, Florida by way of Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland. Misiti responded with a complete-game, two-hit shutout. He threw 86 pitches and struck out nine to just two walks.
The SGSC offense had Misiti’s back and rallied in the bottom of the fifth for their one and only run of the game. Tanner Langley led off with a single. Danny Vigille-grant moved him to third on a single to right. Jesse Brown followed with the third single of the inning, scoring Langley. The 1-0 advantage would hold for the final two innings and give the Hawks a much-needed conference win over the Highlanders.
Brown and Vigille-grant each had two hits for SGSC.
In game two, the Hawks won 5-1 thanks to a two-out, sixth-inning rally and another strong pitching performance, this time from Hayden Gmerek. With two outs in the sixth, Diego Gonzales reached on an infield single. Payton Bryant doubled to right, scoring pinch runner Ladorian Jordan, who had stolen second base. Gavin Hamrick put the Hawks up 3-1 on a two-run home run to center. After a double and a walk, Brown singled to left, scoring Langley and Vigille-grant for a 5-1 lead.
That’s all SGSC would need. Gmerek (6IP, 6H, 2R, 3BB, 8K) and Blake Hughes (1IP, 1BB) handled the Highlander offense.
Langley and Gonzales had two hits. Hamrick drove in two. Bryant and Brown each had an RBI as well.
The Hawks are 28-22 on the season and 10-12 in conference play. They face the Highlanders again Thursday at 3 p.m. at Crider Field in Douglas.
