On paper, Georgia’s 10-0 run-rule victory Friday night over No. 13 Vanderbilt qualifies as one of the Bulldogs’ better efforts this year.
But according to head coach Wes Johnson, there’s always another level and that’s what his 18th-ranked Bulldogs will shoot for as they continue their push toward post-season play.
“We’ve got to continue to get better. It’s like I tell our guys, I’ve been on teams that won 101 ballgames at the next level. There’s always another level,” Johnson said. “That’s what we’ve got have our mind on. So, we’ve got work to do. But all in all, I thought our offense did a phenomenal job of not chasing, and when you do that, you put a lot of pressure on their guys to have to come to the plate.”
Friday’s game offered a little bit of everything.
The Bulldogs (33-12, 11-11) blasted three more home runs, one each by Charlie Condon, Paul Toetz, and Slate Alford. Defensively, the Bulldogs did not commit an error while starting pitcher Leighton Finley pitched the game of his career to silence the bats of Vanderbilt (32-14, 11-11).
Finley was spectacular.
The sophomore right-hander tossed a career-high six innings, scattering three hits with just three walks and 11 strikeouts, also a career-high.
“I really needed to execute my slider. I’ve been struggling a little bit with that, but tonight I was able to do that,” said Finley, who noted that an early change to his grip helped him finish the game strong.
“In the first inning, my slider wasn’t working as well, so I started tweaking (his grip) a little bit,” Finley said. “I moved my thumb on it a little bit and it started working a lot better.”
Johnson said he had a brief conversation about the change in the dugout before Finley went back on the mound in the second.
“I don’t get with them too much about the grip, but I do talk a lot with them about what finger to dominate the ball,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think he was dominating it with the proper finger, and he said OK, then came back in and said I got it. He told me later he adjusted the grip, which is fine as long as he keeps spinning it like he did.”
After Finley’s night was done, Brian Zeldin set the Commodores down in order to finish out the game in the seventh inning.
Offensively, Condon’s 31st home set the tone for the rest of the evening, which saw the Bulldogs score in every inning they came to the plate.
“I feel like it just takes the weight off of everyone’s shoulders,” Toetz said of Condon, who homered for the fifth straight game. “Vanderbilt’s the pinnacle. They’re one of the great teams in college baseball that everyone thinks about. They’re a great program. But when Charlie Condon steps up and hits one 115 mph to Stegeman, everyone is like OK, we can do this.”
Condon’s homer was just the beginning for the Bulldogs, who scored again in the second inning on a fielder’s choice by Fernando Gonzalez.
There was more to come.
Tre Phelps drove in a third-inning run with a fielder’s choice. Dylan Goldstein scored on the same play when second baseman RJ Austin’s throw bounced away from first baseman Braden Holcomb.
Georgia made it four straight innings with a run on an RBI double by Gonzalez.
Toetz’s three-bomb in the fifth extended the lead to 5-0 before Alford capped the scoring with a two-run shot for a 10-0 lead.
Saturday’s second game has the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
News and Notes
• Condon smacked his NCAA-leading 31st home run to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the first and extended his hitting streak to 16 games. It marked his fifth straight game with a home run. He has 56 career home runs in 101 games.
• Toetz (3-for-4, 3 RBI) enjoyed a fine night including a three-run home run in the fifth that gave the Bulldogs an 8-0 advantage. Junior Slate Alford smacked a two-run home run to make it 10-0 in the sixth.
.• Georgia scored at least one run in all six innings it batted
.• The Bulldogs posted their third shutout of the year and first against an SEC opponent. It was the first SEC shutout since Liam Sullivan tossed one to beat Kentucky 3-0 last year in seven innings.
