When Corey Collins squeezed Charlie Condon’s throw for the final out, giving Georgia an 8-6 victory over Georgia Tech to win Sunday’s Athens Regional, a myriad of thoughts flooded his mind.
"Pure joy. We saw fight through the whole nine or ten [innings]. I had to ask how many we played. I didn't even know,” Collins said. “That just sealed the deal. We fought all year to get here and brought it back home, defended our turf and it was great to compete with these guys. Took it to the next level, that's what we wanted to do."
With the victory, Georgia (42-15) advanced to the Super Regionals against North Carolina State. The Bulldogs and Wolfpack will meet in the best-of-three series for a spot in the College World Series starting later this week in Athens. Exact dates and times for the Athens Super Regional will be announced on Tuesday.
It was a win Georgia had to earn.
Down 5-2, a solo home run by Tre Phelps brought the Bulldog within one run in the eighth inning, before Kolby Branch led off the ninth with a solo home run on a two-strike pitch to tie the game. But the fun was just the beginning.
With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Georgia Tech’s Payton Green hit a 3-2 bouncer wide of first. Collins fielded the ball, then flipped to a sprawling Chandler Marsh, who touched the back with his foot to end the inning and send the game to the 10th inning.
What happened next not be forgotten anytime soon.
In the 10th, a throwing error by Tech third baseman Carson Kearse scored Phelps from second. Three batters later, Collins ripped a two-out double to right-center field for an 8-5 lead.
The sellout crowd of 3,746 and the Bulldog dugout went berserk.
“I tell our players all the time, you can't ever hit the panic button. It's a long game. It's the teams who can stay focused and stay ready and understand that they have to get us out 27 outs as well that keep us in games like this,” head coach Wes Johnson said. “I'm sitting beside two superstars with Zach Harris being able to go six innings today and staying out there, keeping it calm and settling it down. Keeping the game where it was was huge. And then what Corey Collins, he's been doing it all year. What do clutch seniors do? They have moments like you saw tonight."
But Georgia Tech (33-25) did not lie down.
The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with nobody out and freshman All-American Drew Burress at bat. Undaunted, Leighton Finley came out of the bullpen after throwing 81 pitches Friday against Army to record the strikeout, before a sacrifice fly by Matthew Ellis cut the lead to 8-6 after swinging at a 3-0 pitch.
Finley would end the game when he enticed John Giesler to ground out to third.
"Leighton was not happy with his outing (Friday), obviously, and I looked at him and said, 'Son, we're going to need you at some point for three outs. I'm going to need three outs out of you between now and when this thing is over so I want you not only to get your body ready but get your mind ready to go out there and do it,’” Johnson said. “When we got to that point, he was telling the guys, 'I'm ready. I've got this. I want this.' That's Leighton. That's who he is. It was a big moment for him to get back out there. Come in, bases loaded, no outs, probably the best freshman in the country at the plate. Got a big strikeout, a fly ball, and then the ground ball."
The way Sunday’s game began it appeared the Bulldogs were going to roll.
Georgia’s first three batters all reached base, with Dylan Goldstein lining an RBI single to right, scoring Corey Collins who led off with a hit by pitch. A fielder’s choice groundout scored Collins from third, and after an infield single by Phelps, Georgia had runners at first and second with just one out.
A fly out to right by Dillon Carter went for the second out. That’s when some bad luck cost the Bulldogs and put an unexpected end to the inning.
With Fernando Gonzalez at the plate, Mason Patel’s pitch sailed past Vahn Lackey. However, the ball hit the backstop and bounced right back to the Yellow Jacket catcher, who threw a strike to third nailing Phelps trying to move up on the play.
Meanwhile, Georgia starter Zach Harris struggled with his location, and he paid a painful price.
A first-inning single by Matthew Ellis drove in Burress from third after a one-out triple, before a three-run homer by Lackey in the second pushed Tech ahead 4-2.
Georgia Tech would add an unearned run later in the inning on an RBI single by Giesler after left fielder Clayton Chadwick dropped a ball in left field that would have been the third out of the inning.
To Harris’ credit, he settled down, tossing four scoreless innings after the Yellow Jackets’ four-run second. He eventually went six innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
"I actually thought he threw the ball really well. He had some unfortunate plays there early. Lost a ball in the sun, and had one pop in and out of our glove. You look, and I'm going, 'Holy cow. Maybe he should've given up two,’” Johnson said. “That's how I look at the game. He kept pounding the strike zone, didn't have many big misses tonight, was around that plate, made big pitches when he needed to, and got big outs. We're not sitting here if he doesn't go six innings."
