Thanks to home runs by Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett, Georgia scored 10 unanswered runs Saturday to stroll past visiting UIC, 10-4.
It marked the second straight day those players have gone deep for the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-1.
Both came at opportune times.
Burnette’s three-run shot off the batter’s eye put the Bulldogs up 5-4 in the fifth, before Zaborowski’s blast into the camera stand 416 feet away from home plate gave Georgia it’s final 10-4 cushion.
“We know we're a good offense. We know that one through nine, one through 15, 16, however many guys like our whole offense are dogs and that's just what we kind of try to bring to the table every day,” Burnett said. “If somebody comes off the bench, they're a dog too. So, you know, we're just trying to get rolling and getting some good swings off now so it's going to be exciting.”
Bulldog head coach Wes Johnson said his team had some of the best swings it has taken all year.
“I liked our swings a lot better today. I mean, early, I told our guys, we try never to panic,” Johnson said of his Bulldogs, who trailed 4-0 before roaring back for the win. “They came out and they gave us a good punch and put four up on the board. I even really liked our swings up to that point. Even though we didn't have anything to show for it, I just kept telling the guys, man, just keep believing, keep getting off a good swing, stay in your approach. When I see us with that mindset and those kinds of swings, I feel like we're going to score some runs eventually, and we did.”
Reliever Matthew Hoskins was the game’s other story.
After only throwing 3.2 innings last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the big right-hander was on point in pitching the final 3.2 innings against the Flames to earn his first career save.
With a fastball that topped out at 97 mph, Hoskins’ cutter and change were no match for UIC, which managed just two hits. Hoskins did not walk a batter and struck out five.
“The cutter been my bread and butter for the last two or three years before I had surgery and whatnot,” Hoskins said. “But I just try and work on the change up every day, try and work on the slider, try and work on the cutter, the fastball … I just try and work on everything.”
Johnson is pleased with what he’s seeing.
“I’m getting really excited for Matthew Hoskins. I think we threw one or two sweepers today. That was a pitch last week that I thought got him out of some trouble, and today we didn't even have to go to it,” Johnson said. “But to your point, anytime you can throw the change-up after you're showing 95 to 97, and you throw a change-up anywhere from 83 to 87, boy, it makes it tough on those guys.”
Bulldog starter Brian Zeldin was seemingly rolling along. After allowing a single and walk to the bottom part of the order, he jumped ahead 0-2 on leadoff hitter Luke Nowak, only to give up a two-run double to left.
Jackson Bessette followed with a two-run homer to left. After a flare single by Will Flanigan, Zeldin’s day was done. Alton Davis took over from Zeldin, and though he was nicked for five hits and two walks, the lefty pitched three innings of scoreless ball to pick up his second win.
Georgia’s bats took it from there.
A two-run single by Daniel Jackson in the third was followed in the fifth by Burnett’s three-run homer off the batter’s eye, giving the Bulldogs their first lead at 5-4.
“(Friday) I think I came up, bases loaded, a 3-1 count, and I kind of came out of my approach, swung at a ball and got out,” Burnett said. “Today, I just learned from that and I was just like, you know, stay in my approach, get my best swing off at a good pitch, and just try to do a job and, you know, just worked out to be a home run.”
Georgia tacked on a single run in the sixth before Zaborowski’s three-run homer in the seventh put the game out of reach.
The Bulldogs and Flames (1-6) wrap up their series Sunday at 11 a.m.
Ole Miss transfer JT Quinn will start for Georgia.
