Bulldogs persevere

Next Game

Saturday: Georgia vs. UNC-Wilmington

Time: 6 p.m.

TV/RADIO: ESPN+; Georgia Bulldog Radio Network

Nothing came easy for Georgia against Army in the opening round of the Athens Regional. It wasn’t until second baseman Slate Alford made a nice play for the game’s final out in an 8-7 win that the Bulldogs were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“We took some punches from them, but we persevered and were able to overcome,” Georgia skipper Wes Johnson said. “They played loose, but we were able to keep punching with them, and obviously there at the end, we were able to get the run.”

After Army tied the game at 7 with two runs in the top of the eighth inning, Georgia (40-15) regained a skinny one-run lead on a sacrifice fly by Fernando Gonzalez on an 0-2 pitch.

In the ninth, Christian Mracna issued a walk to Coleson Titus followed by a Justin Lehman single to put runners on first and second with one out for Army. But Mracna recovered, with Addison Ainsworth flying out to left field, before pinch-hitter Ethan Ellis hit a tricky grounder that Alford fielded and threw to first for the final out.

“All the credit to Army. They had us on the ropes for the whole game,” said Bulldog Charlie Condon, who went 3 for 3 including his 36th home run of the season. “There’s not a lot of quit out of those guys. We tried to set the tone offensively, but when they throw the first punch like they did, it tests the resolve in your dugout.”

With the win, Georgia gets UNC-Wilmington, a 9-0 winner over Georgia Tech Friday night. First pitch Saturday for the Bulldogs is set for 6 p.m.

“I think the moral of the story for us today is in the games we’ve had this year, the offensive production one through nine and there are lightning bolts in this lineup that can come up give you quality at-bats all around,” Condon said. “That makes it a whole lot easier.”

Otherwise, not a lot came simple for the Bulldogs against an Army squad (32-21) that’s making its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Bulldog starter Leighton Finley, pitching for the first time since May 17, struggled with his location, giving up two-run homers to Chris Barr and Coleson Titus for a 4-1 lead for the Black Knights heading to the bottom of the third inning.

Georgia would pull even at 4-4 on an RBI double by Clayton Chadwick before answering a go-ahead run in the sixth by Army with a three-run sixth to go up 7-5. Alford, who went 3 for 5 with three RBI, drove home the tying and go-ahead runs with a double to left center.

After Army tied the game at 7 in the eighth inning, Mracna came on to strand the bases loaded, setting up Gonzalez, who put the Bulldog back in front with his sacrifice fly to left off Andrew Berg (5-3).

That left it up to Mracna (4-2), who despite some tricky moments, was able to close out the game to send Georgia into the winner’s bracket.

“It was definitely a high-leverage moment, but I knew how important it was and how hard we’ve worked,” Mracna said. “We’ve been preparing all year for moments like that, so I didn’t feel rushed at all, or sped up.”

Georgia outhit the Black Knights 12-10, led by Condon and Alford with three hits each, and Gonzalez with two.

Despite the close call, the Bulldogs now wait to play either Georgia Tech or UNC-Wilmington. A spot in the Athens Regional finals will be on the line.

“I talk to our guys all the time, we can’t panic. This game is hard. Breaks are going to swing, and pressure is going to happen,” Johnson said. “It’s the team that stays under control, typically in ones versus four. Those are the teams you’ll see play well.”

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