Georgia vs Georgia Tech-UNCW winner
WHEN: Sunday, 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ (subject to change)
Kolby Branch with the bases loaded has been a productive combination for Georgia this year. Saturday night against UNC-Wilmington in the winner’s bracket game of the Athens Regional was another example of why.
Branch’s second-inning grand slam was just the offensive spark the Bulldogs were looking for, as Georgia went on to blast the Seahawks, 11-2.
“The pressure is off; the pressure is on them. We’ve got the home crowd; we’re all on base, I’m in the nine-hole, we’ve got Corey (Collins) and Charlie (Condon) coming up … the pressure is off me,” Branch said. “All I’ve got to do is handle my business and we’ll handle business as a team.”
Georgia certainly handled business against the Seahawks (40-20) and, by doing so, is now just one victory away from their first trip to the Super Regional since 2008.
The Bulldogs will play the winner of Sunday’s game noon contest between Georgia Tech and UNC-Wilmington for the regional title. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. (ESPN+, subject to change).
Either Georgia Tech or UNCW would have to beat Georgia twice to advance to the Super Regionals. If the Bulldogs drop Sunday’s game, the two teams would play again Monday afternoon with the game time to be determined.
“I tell our guys all the time not to treat any game different from the last and really that’s what this is,” skipper Wes Johnson said. “Don’t make one game bigger than the other. Emotions can carry over and take you out of your approach and what you do. The biggest thing we have to do tomorrow is understand that it’s just another game where you’ve got to be ready for Pitch One, focus, and play 27 outs. The team that can do that, stay relaxed, stay to their approach when situations are happening, that’s the team that’s going to have a success (Sunday).”
The Bulldogs did not wait long to get started.
After Collins led off with a long home run over the scoreboard in right, Branch followed with his grand slam in the second to put the Bulldogs 5-1. In the process, he wrote his name into the Georgia record book.
Branch's four grand slams this year are the most for any player in one season for Georgia. The Bulldogs’ 12 grand slams this season also represent a new school mark.
“I just found out about that,” Branch said. “I don’t really look too much into that. I feel like I come up a little too much with the base loaded, though, so maybe it’s good.”
Along with the win, the Bulldogs at least initially appear to have avoided an injury scare with starting pitcher Kolten Smith, who battled control with six walks before coming out of the fifth inning to what Johnson later described as cramping in his wrist and top of his forearm toward his triceps.
“He was cramping up a little bit, and was like I just need a breather,” Johnson said. “He just wanted to catch his breath and throw, but I just said 'no.' You could see Kolten before this is over. He’s fine. Once we got the cramp settled down, he was fine.”
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, reliever DJ Radtke (1-0) was up to the task, allowing just one run on an infield hit before retiring Bryan Adrendt on a foul pop to catcher Fernando Gonzalez to keep the score 6-2.
“It definitely helps. I think the big thing was just filling up the strike zone, and I tried to do that the best I could,” Radtke said. “Coach tells us all the time to believe in ourselves and that really helps calm you down when you’re out there.”
A 6-2 deficit was as close as the Seahawks could make it.
Josh Roberge followed Radtke’s two scoreless innings with two of his own before Christian Mracna closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.
Georgia capped its scoring with two more in the fifth inning on a throwing error by third baseman Jac Croom, followed by one in the seventh and two in the eighth.
