Bombs away for Bulldogs

Although two games do not necessarily indicate a trend, Georgia’s bats have certainly responded since head coach Scott Stricklin tweaked his lineup Saturday.

After responding with eight runs on Saturday, the Bulldogs were back at it in Sunday’s finale, this time rolling to a 17-6 win to take the series with the Wildcats, two games to one.

“I just think our hitters had a really good approach,” said Stricklin, brushing off the idea. “It was just a really aggressive approach by our hitters today. I thought we had great at-bats all the way through, we drew some walks, got some big two-out hits, and overall was just a great performance by our offense.”

Stricklin’s biggest move came at the top of the order. With Ben Anderson scuffling, Stricklin moved the center fielder to the bottom of the order, inserting Josh McAllister into the leadoff spot. Another move saw the hot-hitting Garrett Blaylock move from second to third in place of Parks Harber, with Riley King dropping to sixth to be more of a run producer.

With the exception of Blaylock, Georgia hitters certainly bumped their averages against the Wildcats (22-11, 7-8).

The Bulldogs (23-12, 7-8) pounded out 18 hits, with seven of the nine position starters getting at least two.

That included a trio of three-hit performances by Cole Tate, Chaney Rogers, and Fernando Gonzalez, the latter of whom drove in a career-best four runs. King also accounted for three runs scored and three RBIs.

Three of Gonzalez’s RBIs came on a home run in the second inning—the first of the freshman’s career—giving Georgia and starting pitcher Luke Wagner a 3-0 lead.

“At 0-2, you’re not really thinking about home runs,” Gonzalez said. “It’s about fighting and don’t let the pitcher beat you. Today, I was able to get it.”

Georgia’s lead did not last for long.

A four-run third by Kentucky chased Wagner and put the Wildcats back in front. However, Georgia’s hitters remained hot.

The Bulldogs answered the Wildcats’ four scores with five runs in the bottom of the third, two scoring on a triple by Ben Anderson after a scary collision between shortstop Ryan Ritter and Oraj Anu.

King’s two-run homer pushed the lead to 10-4 in the fourth, with Cole Tate singling in Anderson in the fifth for an 11-5 advantage after Kentucky scored on a bases-loaded walk by Will Pearson.

“Sundays in this league, especially with the wind blowing out, the scores tend to get a little bit big,” Stricklin said. “The bullpen is depleted, guys have already been used once, the third starter is out there, and often there’s a lot of big scores. We told our guys from the beginning to expect a high-scoring game, that the hitters needed to show up and they needed to compete.”

Freshman lefty Jaden Woods (2-0) would shut it down from there.

After coming in with two out in the sixth, he retired all seven batters he faced with four strikeouts to earn his second career win.

“It’s all about keeping a clear head and not making the situation bigger than it already is,” Woods said. “When I come into a situation where I need one out, I come in thinking I need three, because times I’ve come in knowing I needed just one, it got a little rough. So, it’s just about coming in with a clear mindset that I have to get three, and so far, it's seemed to work.”

Boxscore

An ugly moment took place in the bottom of the third when Kentucky shortstop Ryan Ritter and left fielder Oraj Anu collided at full speed chasing after a ball hit by Ben Anderson.

The two Wildcats hit head first, leaving both players prone on the field with the ball bounding away for a triple.

Two runs scored on the play, but all thoughts turned to Ritter, who took the worst of the hit.

Fortunately, the sophomore was able to get to his feet, and he stayed in the game until he was replaced by Drew Grace in the fourth.

Anu was able to stay in the game as well.

…Riley King’s second-inning single extended his hitting streak to seven games, the best of his career.

…Corey Collins’ third-inning double extended his hitting streak to nine games, a career best.

…Connor Tate’s third inning single extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Georgia returns to action Tuesday night when the Bulldogs host Clemson at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.

The Bulldogs resume SEC play next weekend at Missouri.