As good as Georgia’s bats have been for much of the season, the Bulldogs’ year-long struggles hitting left-handed pitchers have been the biggest head-scratcher.
Unfortunately, those troubles continued on Saturday in a 6-3 loss to the Blue Devils in the Athens Regionals.
As a result, the season is now on the line.
“I've been in a regional where we lost game one and made it back to the finals, so I'm going to draw a little bit on that, on how to manage the game,” head coach Wes Johnson said. “So yeah, your message is really simple, guys, we're still playing baseball tomorrow. We are really good, and we have plenty of pitchers to go tomorrow. We'll be ready to hit.”
The Bulldogs had better be.
Georgia (43-16) will face Oklahoma State in a loser-go-home game Sunday at noon (TV to be determined). To survive, the Bulldogs must beat one of the nation’s best lefties to make it happen.
Oklahoma State ace Harrison Bodendorf did not pitch the first two games for the Cowboys but will against the Bulldogs. The 6-5 junior from Hawaii is 10-1, with an ERA of 2.77. He has 100 strikeouts and just 27 walks in 87.2 innings.
“We hit some balls hard, but didn't have a lot to show for it. Yes, you want it when runners are first and third or the bases are loaded or first and second. It’s called timely hitting,” Johnson said. “I feel really good about where we are against left-handers. We're going to see them all day tomorrow. If we win the first one, they're (Duke) going to throw a lefty in the second. So, we're not going to not see them, but I really like where we're at.”
The Bulldogs – who led 1-0 after two innings on a home run by Ryland Zaborowski - certainly had their chances.
Down 4-1, Henry Hunter’s leadoff homer in the sixth cut the lead to two, followed by Slate Alford, who singled to right, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Unfortunately for Georgia, the rest of the inning and what followed would be some of the team’s most frustrating of the year, as the Bulldogs stranded five runners, three in scoring position.
“Obviously, in the postseason, that's how you win and lose games. Being one for eight with runners in scoring position, you look at the final score, I mean, it has a lot to do with it,” Hunter said. “We’ve just got to do a little bit better job of slowing the game down and shrinking the strike zone and getting a good pitch to hit and put ourselves in a better position for sure.”
The sixth inning proved excruciating.
After Hunter’s home run, back-to-back singles by Slate Alford and Tre Phelps put runners at first and third with nobody out.
However, just when it looked like the Bulldogs had momentum, it was quickly extinguished when Robbie Burnett lined the ball right to first baseman Tyler Albright, who stepped on the bag for the easy double play.
“The double play there when Robbie hit the ball to first base, that took a little wind out of our sail,” Johnson said. “I mean, you can't do a whole lot about that. He hit the ball hard. The base runner can't get back on that. I mean, the guy fell back on it.”
The Blue Devils iced the game with two runs in the top of the ninth, putting Georgia in a must-win situation to keep its season alive.
Duke (39-19) is now 33-1 when leading after six innings as the Bulldogs went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The turnaround will be quick.
If the Bulldogs defeat Oklahoma State, Georgia would have to beat Duke to force a deciding game on Monday for a trip to the Super Regionals.
“You’ve got to win the first one before you can do anything else, so we will sell out to win that, and then you go to the next one,” Johnson said. “If you're fortunate enough to win that, you sell out to win, and then you go to the next.”
Zaborowski’s solo home run put the Bulldogs up 1-0 in the second. But the lead did not last for long as Brian Curley’s (4-4) location got the better of him in the third.
Leadoff singles by Wallace Clark and A.J. Garcia started the inning for the Blue Devils, before Ben Miller stepped to the plate and demolished a three-run homer over the batter’s eye in center for a 3-1 lead.
In the fifth, Clark touched Curley for a leadoff home run, which ultimately helped chase the Georgia pitcher following a one-out single.
Kolten Smith took over, and despite giving up a ground-rule double to put runners at second and third with two out, Smith came back to strike out Albright, ending the inning.
The Bulldogs’ struggles continued against lefty Kyle Johnson (4-3), who entered the game with a 6.75 ERA. He held the Bulldogs to just one hit (Zaborowski’s homer) before Hunter’s home run leading off the sixth.
Two more lefties – Mark Hindy and James Tallon – closed out the game for Duke, scattering six hits with seven strikeouts over the final four innings.
