Bulldogs take series from No. 5 Arkansas

Between four players who hit their fourth home run and a magnificent effort by starting pitcher Charlie Goldstein, the Georgia Bulldogs accomplished something Friday night they’ve done only one other time this year – win a series against an SEC foe.

However, Friday’s 7-3 victory over No. 5 Arkansas represented more than that. The win clinched the second series win over a ranked team after taking two of three from No. 10 Kentucky three weeks ago. Suddenly, the Bulldogs (22-17, 6-11), who started a mere 1-9 in SEC play, have won five of their last seven conference games.

“Bottom line, we’re just playing better baseball. We’re playing clean, making plays defensively, minimizing the freebies,” head coach Scott Stricklin said. “There’s a lot of reasons, but we’re just playing closer to our potential and that’s what was so frustrating earlier in the year because we were just so underachieving.”

Georgia used four home runs – from 6-9 hitters Cole Wagner, Sebastian Murillo, and Mason LaPlante – to back some stellar pitching from Goldstein, who improved to 2-1.

The home runs by the four Bulldogs were No. 4 on the year for each.

“I didn’t know that, but I did think it was pretty cool that the 6, 7, 8, and 9 hitters hit home runs,” said Wagner, who broke out of a recent slump by going a career-best 4-for-4 with two RBIs. “I haven’t seen that very often.”

Another rarity, the Bulldogs outhit and outscored the Razorbacks (30-9, 11-6) – the first-place team in the SEC West – with Charlie Condon, Connor Tate, and Parks Harber going just a combined 2-for-10 (both by Tate) with only one run scored and no RBI. Condon had his streak of reaching base in 37 straight games snapped.

“If you had said we’re hitting four home runs and Condon, Tate, and Harber aren’t hitting any of them, I don’t think anyone is believing you,” Stricklin said. “Charlie was off tonight. You’re allowed to do that. The guy was hitting .450, one of the best hitters in the country. He was a little bit off tonight, other guys picked them up.”

Goldstein, meanwhile, continues to pick up what had been a beleaguered Georgia pitching staff by throwing this third straight excellent outing.

Against the Razorbacks, Goldstein allowed just three hits over a career-best six innings with zero walks and five strikeouts. Over his last 16 innings – against three ranked teams in Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas – he has allowed just one earned run with four walks and 19 strikeouts.

“It’s crazy. I just knew I had to have a big role,” Goldstein said. “At the beginning of the year when I was struggling, I knew something had to change some things around. I just wanted to try and instill some confidence in this team because we knew we could do it. As a staff, we’ve gotten a lot better and been able to help out.”

Chandler Marsh, Dalton Rhadans, and Will Pearson closed out the game for the Bulldogs, with Pearson setting down Arkansas after the Razorbacks scored three times in the eighth to make the game a little interesting.

Georgia scored four times in the second, using back-to-back home runs by Wagner and Murillo, followed two batters later by a two-run shot by LaPlante to give the Bulldogs an early 4-0 lead.

For Arkansas starter Will McEntire, this was not an anomaly. The junior right-hander already had given up 11 home runs in 45 innings. There was more to come.

After a two-out single by Wagner tacked on another run in the third, Gonzalez hit the fourth homer of the day off McEntire in the fourth for a 6-0 lead. It was the second home run in as many days for the Bulldog catcher.

An RBI single by Wagner in the sixth capped the scoring for the Bulldogs.

Boxscore

…The back-to-back home runs by Wagner and Murillo marked the second time Georgia has hit consecutive home runs this year. The last time was Feb. 28 against Presbyterian courtesy of Condon and Corey Collins.

… Speaking of Collins, he missed his second straight game with a sprained hand. The good news is it’s not a break. He had an X-ray, he had a CAT scan and he had MRI. "There’s swelling in there, the tendons are sprained,” Stricklin said. “Our hope is the anti-inflammatory can bring down the swelling, and he can be available next weekend.”

… Georgia will send Liam Sullivan (4-2, 4.14) to try for the sweep. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m. Hagen Smith (5-1, 2.79) is expected to start for Arkansas.