An opportunity for a second series victory over the nation’s No. 1 team slipped through the fingers of Georgia’s baseball team Sunday afternoon, after Arkansas scored five unanswered runs to win Sunday’s finale, 5-3.
The loss drops Georgia to 28-18 overall, 11-13 in conference play, while the Razorbacks improve to 36-9 and 17-7.
"I’m proud of our guys. We fought hard and played well against the No. 1 team in the country with the biggest crowds of the season. I think they called it like 7,600, but it sounded like 10,000. We were in every game, and won yesterday,” head coach Scott Stricklin said. “To play like we did in this atmosphere, that was good for us. We’ll take Monday off, as we’ve still got final exams. Then, we’ll get right back to work Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Gainesville on Thursday.”
Georgia grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third inning, getting an RBI single by Ben Anderson before Connor Tate followed with a huge, two-out, two-run single.
The way Ryan Webb was pitching (retired 10 straight at one point), it appeared that might be enough.
However, the Razorbacks answered with a pair of runs in the fifth, before Matt Goodheart homered to tie the game.
It was the first home run of the weekend by Arkansas, which came into the series leading the nation with 76.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, there was more to come.
In the seventh, Jalen Battles homered against Webb for a 4-3 lead.
After getting the next batter on a groundout to third, Webb was lifted by Stricklin, who was accompanied to the mound by trainer Zach Adams. According to a UGA spokesman, Webb was taken out because he had reached his maximum pitch count.
Arkansas closer Kevin Kopps finished off the game with 4.1 innings of three-hit relief to move to 7-0, dropping his ERA to a minuscule 0.67.
Georgia returns to action Friday when the Bulldogs travel to Florida.
