Georgia Gwinnett Beats CMU for the NAIA Baseball Title

Tournament MVP Hunter Dollander pitched seven shutout innings and Nick Barnes and Chase Evans drove in two runs each to lead Georgia Gwinnett to its first Avista NAIA World Series title with an 8-4 win over Central Methodist (Mo.) Thursday night at Lewis-Clark State College’s Harris Field.

Dollander took a five-hit shutout into the eighth inning before he eventually gave up an earned run and was replaced. By that time, Georgia Gwinnett had built an 8-2 lead. Dollander finished with nine strikeouts and two walks.

The Grizzlies, who were seeded fifth in the 10-team double-elimination tournament, went undefeated at 5-0 and finish the year at 43-7. Central Methodist, the number 2 seed, was making its first ever appearance in the tournament and finished the year 48-8, including two losses to Gwinnett in the NAIA World Series.