It was a no holds barred heavyweight slugfest between the South Georgia State College Hawks and the Georgia Highlands Chargers Friday in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in Tifton. And it was the Chargers who delivered the knock-out punch on a 10th inning walk-off double in game two to win the tournament and the GCAA championship.
The Hawks went into the game undefeated, meaning that to win the title, the Chargers had to beat SGSC twice. The two teams were supposed to play Thursday but rain postponed the championship until Friday. That extra day of rest likely helped the Chargers more than it did the Hawks. Still, SGSC had its chances but just couldn’t put Highlands away.
In game one, the Hawks pulled ahead 2-1 after scoring a run in the third and fourth innings. The Chargers responded with a six-run fifth inning (thanks in large part to a grand slam off the bat of Aiden Larkin) to take a 7-2 lead.
Then SGSC started chipping away. With one out, Steven Tavares-Batista hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Danny Vigille-grant. A Brice Marchman single put runners on first and third. Trae Jones followed with a single to center, scoring Jesse Brown and moving Marchman into scoring position. A fly ball ended the inning but the Hawks had cut the Chargers’ advantage to just three runs.
In the sixth, SGSC scored another run when Brown drove in Payton Bryant to narrow the gap to 7-5. The Hawks didn’t score in the seventh inning but tied the game in the eighth. Bryant led off with a double. Gavin Hamrick singled, moving Bryant to third. Tanner Langley reached on an error, which allowed Bryant to score and get the Hawks to within one. After a Vigille-grant single, Brown sacrificed to left, scoring Hamrick and tying the game at seven apiece.
SGSC didn’t get to enjoy its breathing room for very long. With one out in the top of the ninth, Carson Paige flew out to center, scoring Larkin from third on the tag. The Hawks retired the next two batters to end the inning but the damage had been done. SGSC was down to its last three outs and trailed 8-7. Jack Burns, the Chargers’ fourth pitcher of the day, retired the Hawks in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game and force a winner-take-all game two.
Brown, Tavares-Batista, and Bryant had two hits. Both of Bryant’s hits were doubles. Bryant also scored twice. Brown drove in two.
The Hawks used three pitchers, with starter Luke Smith doing the lion’s share of the work. He went 7 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs (all earned) on 12 hits. He struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone. Blake Hughes (1/3IP, 1R, 2BB, 1K) and Hayden Gmerek, who beat the Chargers with a complete game on Wednesday, threw an inning. He allowed a hit and struck out one.
Game two followed a similar script. Highlands built an 8-0 lead after three innings. Then SGSC started cutting into the lead. This time, though, the Hawks did it with the long ball.
In the top of the fifth, Bryant hit the first pitch he saw out to center for a solo home run and SGSC’s first run of the game. After a fly out, Langley homered as well. The next batter grounded out then Brown connected for the third solo homer of the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Jones homered to right, cutting the Chargers’ lead in half. After a strikeout, Bryant walked. Hamrick didn’t want to miss out on the Hawks’ power surge and he sent a 2-2 pitch out to right for a two-run shot that made the score 8-6.
SGSC didn’t score again in the sixth but picked up where they left off in the seventh. Tavares-Batista reached on a one-out infield single. Then Marchman tied the game at eight with another two-run homer, this one to left field.
Neither team scored the rest of the game, forcing extra innings. In the tenth, Alex Bairan led off with a single to left. However, the Hawks didn’t get another hit and went into the bottom of the inning still tied.
Andrew Bishop led off the bottom of the 10th with a single to left. Mason Moore hit a grounder to Talon Daignault, forcing Bishop at second. Page walked, putting Chargers at first and second. Gavin Savage stepped into the box next and took two balls for a 2-0 count. Then he doubled to left, which scored TJ Sunderhous, who was pinch running for Moore, for the winning run and the championship.
Brown led SGSC offensively, going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Jones was 2-3 with a run and an RBI. Marchman and Hamrick drove in two while Bryant scored twice.
Jones doubled and homered. Marchman, Hamrick, Brown, Bryant, and Langley also hit home runs for SGSC.
The Hawks used three more pitchers in the final game. Caleb Allen, SGSC’s third pitcher, went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs (both earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Matt Misiti threw two innings and Carson Ward went one.
The Chargers sent five pitchers to the mound. Starter Reed Thursby threw 5 2/3 innings while Heath Whitlock, Highlands’s fourth pitcher, went three innings. None of the other three recorded more than two outs in an inning.
The Hawks ended the 2026 season with a 34-26 record. The Chargers posted a 47-13 mark and next play the winner of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association tournament. Walters State and Columbia State are in the finals.
This year, Georgia hosts the Tennessee team, giving the Chargers homefield advantage for the district championship. The district winner moves on to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado, later this month.
