For the third time this year, Georgia has beaten the top-ranked team in the country.
In early April, the Bulldogs took two of three from then No. 1 Vanderbilt in Nashville. Saturday night in Fayetteville, the Bulldogs used a seventh-inning homer by Ben Anderson and some stellar relief pitching from Jaden Woods and Ben Harris to topple the top-ranked Razorbacks, 7-3.
"Jaden Woods was a huge key to the game of settling things down," head coach Scott Stricklin said. "He comes in and we’re down 3-1, and he just settled things down and gave us a chance to win. And then Benny Harris did a great job of shutting it down."
Georgia, which dropped two of three last weekend to Auburn, needed this. The win boosts Georgia to 28-17, 11-12 in the SEC and puts the Bulldogs on the path to get back to .500 in the SEC.
With the score tied at 3 in the seventh, the Razorbacks brought in Zack Morris, who was touched up by Anderson on his very first pitch for a two-run homer to give Georgia the lead.
The Bulldogs added some insurance in the ninth with Fernando Gonzalez driving in Chaney Rogers. Then Josh McAllister was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make the score 7-3.
Speaking of, Georgia jumped off to a 1-0 lead in the first when McAllister launched his eighth home run.
But Arkansas would answer that initial UGA lead. The Razorbacks scored a run off of starter Jonathan Cannon in the second inning, before adding two more in the third to go up 3-1.
Georgia would tie the game in the fifth, albeit with some help by the Razorbacks.
With Cole Tate at third, McAllister beat out an infield hit to make the score 3-2. However, on the play, the throw to first sailed down the right field line. McAllister never stopped running, and when the relay back sailed into stands, was sent home with the tying run.
Give Woods (3-0) a lot of credit for giving the offense it’s opportunity.
The former Houston County standout took over for Cannon in the third and allowed just two hits with one walk and three strikeouts, before coming out in favor of Harris with two outs and a runner at first.
Harris made it interesting.
The lefty hit Cayden Wallace and issued a four-pitch walk to Brady Slavens, but came back to strike out Christian Franklin on a 2-2 pitch to send the game to the eighth.
“He had thrown some balls and was having trouble seeing the signs (from Corey Collins). The crowd was really, really loud, and the he comes back to get the big strikeout against one of the best hitters in the country," Stricklin said. "That settled him down, and after that, he was really good.”
Harris would strand a runner in the eighth, before finishing off the game with a scoreless ninth for his third save.
Georgia will go for the series victory Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Ryan Webb (3-3, 3.04) will start for the Bulldogs.
