Series victories on the road in the SEC aren’t easy, so you take them any way you can.

Sunday’s finale at South Carolina may have had some anxious moments, but ultimately 14th-ranked Georgia had more answers in a 13-9 win.

The victory pushed the Bulldogs to 24-8, 8-4 in the SEC East. South Carolina falls to 15-16, 4-8 in the SEC East. Georgia has won three of its four SEC series this spring. Georgia is now tied with West-leading Arkansas for the best overall mark in SEC play.

“That’s your goal, just try to win a series. You want to win every game you play, but realistically in this league, when you go on the road, you’re doing everything you can just to win a series,” head coach Scott Stricklin told UGASports in a telephone interview after the game. “We found a way to win that one, and now we’ve won five out of our last six (SEC games).”

There were several story lines within Sunday’s finale.

One was the performance of starting pitcher Liam Sullivan, who made his first appearance in over a month due to a sore arm.

Sullivan was on a pitch count, but performed better than Stricklin had hoped, allowing one run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts before he was replaced by Chandler Marsh after the first two batters reached in the fourth.

“The good thing was he was fighting with me to stay in the game. That was good that he was feeling good enough and squirrely enough to stay out there,” Stricklin said. “It wasn’t his sharpest stuff, but I think it will continue to get better. But I thought he was able to mix his change and breaking ball. His fastball was sneaking up to 91, so I think as he continues to get healthier and stronger, he’ll get even better.”

Reliever Jack Gowen deserves a tip of the cap.

After Jaden Woods received a quick hook after being charged with four runs in an inning, Gowen shut the Gamecocks down just when it seemed South Carolina might rally.

Gowen went a career-long 3.2 innings, allowing just a ninth-inning homer to account for the final score. He scattered three hits and struck out six.

Sullivan (3-1) was credited with the win, with Gowen picking up his fifth save.

“That wasn’t really in the plan for him to get 11 outs. The thought was maybe to get six out. We wanted to get to the eighth and then have to use Jack,” Stricklin said. “Jack just kept going, and he showed no signs of letting up.”

Offensively, it was a good day to be a Bulldog.

First baseman Parks Harber went a career-best 4-for-4 with two RBIs, while right fielder Chaney Rogers went 2 for 5 with a home run and drove in five. Corey Collins also had two hits including his eighth home run, while Josh McAllister added two hits and drove in two.

After building an 8-0 lead, the Gamecocks struck for three in the fifth, only to have Georgia tally four runs in the sixth to push the lead back to eight at 12-4.

South Carolina would match Georgia’s four with four in the bottom of the sixth, only to have Collins’ long home run in the seventh get the Bulldogs one of the runs back.

“When we went up 12-3 it didn’t feel like the game was over, but it certainly made you feel more comfortable,” Stricklin said. “But they just came right back. It was one of those things where you just never felt comfortable. Even with a five-run lead in the ninth, it was like, let’s get three outs, so we can end this.”

Boxscore

NOTES:

… Stricklin said pitcher Jonathan Cannon (muscle strain in the back of his forearm) continues to improve and hopes to be back in two weeks for Alabama.

“He’s feeling a lot better. He actually did some stuff today, although not throwing. We hope he’s going to start throwing this week,” Stricklin said. “Considering where he was Wednesday morning. He did it on Tuesday and Wednesday, we were like ‘oh, no.’ But he’s gotten better every single day, he’s very positive, and it’s been really encouraging to see him make progress every day.

… Gowen made three appearances this week, including two in the USC series, and he provided 5.2 innings with 10 strikeouts. He notched two saves in the series.

… Graduate Ben Anderson extended his on-base streak to 30 games when he drew a walk in the fourth. He has reached base safely in every game he's played this season.

… Harber’s RBI-single in the first extended his hitting streak to a career-best seven games. He established a new career-high with a four-hit day and reached base in all five plate appearances with a walk.

… Cory Acton’s RBI double in the fourth gave him a 13-game on base streak.