If you want to make it through the rugged SEC, being able to respond is key.

So, although last weekend’s sweep by Kentucky in the season-opening series qualified as a disappointing start to its season, Georgia entered the weekend against No. 8 Alabama wanting to keep from falling too far behind in the standings.

The Bulldogs topped the Crimson Tide 10-5 on Sunday to sweep the three-game series.

“We’re resilient. That’s what Coach Wes (Wes Johnson) always preaches,” outfielder Paul Toetz said. “Being resilient and able to respond is huge. After getting swept last week, a lot of guys kind of lit a fire under us. We knew we were better than that, and I think the way we responded was awesome.”

Johnson was not surprised.

After the game, Georgia’s head coach revealed that the team held a pair of player-only meetings, one before last Tuesday’s win over Wofford, and again before the weekend series against Alabama.

“It’s good. When you have that player-only meeting and we (the coaches) aren’t around, and they’re in there rallying the troops so to speak, getting after them, that’s what it takes to be successful,” Johnson said. You’ve got older players who know what this league is all about. You go around our diamond, you’ve got Charlie (Condon), Kolby (Branch) … Sebastian (Murillo) was huge yesterday. His toughness and understanding this league, he drew a couple of walks to get Cory (Collins) and Charlie back up there, those types of things are huge, and that’s what a veteran player does.”

The fact Georgia was able to bounce back was significant from another standpoint.

Alabama came into the series as the nation’s 8th-ranked team, and as the top-hitting team in the SEC with a league batting average of .327 and third in the league in runs scored with 215.

“You look back at the beginning of the week. We had a great attitude in practice, no one was too low, we just focused on the things we were doing good,” said Collins, who hit two more home runs to lead the Bulldogs. “You just turn the page and go. This game is hard. You’ve got to have attitude. It starts at the beginning of the week and carry it on.”

Georgia’s bats continue to be the story.

The Bulldogs added three more homers on Sunday to their NCAA-best total of 74 including Nos. 9 and 10 by Corey Collins, and one each by Toetz and Dylan Goldstein.

Georgia improved to 18-1 at Foley Field this year.

“The challenge is, you’ve got to stay hungry in this league. If you think you’re full or satisfied, that’s when you’re going to go in and get swept again,” Johnson said. “So, the challenge for us is to continue to stay hungry every single day. The hay’s never in the barn.”

Starting pitcher Christian Mracna (3-1) struggled with control but made his best pitches when he needed to the most.

The transfer from George Mason worked around a pair of first-and-third, one-out jams in the first two innings. Mracna left the game in the fifth after walking his third and fourth batters to load the bases with two outs.

That was enough for Johnson, who went to DJ Radtke. It was the right move.

Radtke caught Alabama second baseman Mason Swinney for the third out, keeping the score 6-1.

A three-run sixth inning extended the lead to 9-1, with two coming on a home run by Slate Alford after the Bulldogs worked a double steal for the fifth and sixth stolen bases of the game. Georgia came with seven steals all season.

Collins’ 10th home run–a long solo shot in the eighth–pushed Georgia’s lead to 10-4. The home run was the sixth for the senior since he’s been inserted into the leadoff role.

Daniel Padysak, Josh Roberge, and Brian Zeldin closed out the game. Zeldin earned his fourth save when he retired TJ McCants with the bases loaded.

NOTES:

…Georgia returns to action on Tuesday against Mercer. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

… Outfielder Dylan Carter is day-to-day after being hit on the hand in Saturday’s Game 2.

"He's just banged up. He needed a day. If I don't have to play him on Tuesday, I probably won't. We'll just give him another day," Johnson said. "But he'll continue to work BP and defense."

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