Georgia's first Super Regional game in 16 years effectively ended after about 45 minutes.

An 11-run second inning from North Carolina State propelled the Wolfpack to an 18-1 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Foley Field. The Wolfpack claimed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Super Regional.

"Tip your hat to NC State. They came out, had a big inning," head coach Wes Johnson said. "We didn’t do a lot of things right that inning. I don’t even know how to go about it, bunts, this that and the other. But hey, here’s the great thing about our game. Nothing carries over to tomorrow. Scoreboard goes back to 0-0. We’re going to come out and we’re going to be ready to respond."

To say starting pitcher Kolten Smith struggled would be an understatement.

Smith got knocked around by the Wolfpack. He recorded just three outs while surrendering 10 runs, eight of which were earned.

All the damage came in the 11-run second inning for the Wolfpack.

"It started off with a cap single. It wasn’t like he gave up a hit that was 100 miles an hour," Johnson said. "Then bunt, then bunt, then bunt, then another flare. It’s like, okay, he’s not getting hit hard. I made a comment to a couple of my coaches in the dugout, there’s been a lot of firsts. I’ve never given up 11 runs in an inning and not walked a guy or hit a guy."

All in all, Smith surrendered eight straight hits to begin the inning. That included a three-run double from North Carolina State right fielder Noah Soles and a two-run homer by center fielder Eli Serrano III.

After an error and another single, Smith exited with the Bulldogs in a deep hole.

"As the inning went on a little longer, he missed in the middle of the plate a little too much," Johnson said.

As much as Smith struggled, his defense did him no favors.

The Wolfpack laid down a pair of bunt hits to kickstart the inning. The first run of the game scored on the first bunt, while the second loaded the bases.

Later in the inning, first baseman Corey Collins fielded a grounder with runners on first and second. He threw to second in an attempt to start a double play, but his throw pulled shortstop Kolby Branch off the bag. All runners were safe, loading the bases yet again.

"I took Kolby a little high," Collins said. "I thought he was out, but he was safe. Then again, they still hit. I think it was one error, but they still put up however many hits in that inning. It happens sometimes."

The next batter hit a fly ball that bounced off right fielder Dylan Goldstein's glove at the wall for an RBI single. The final two runs of the 11-run frame scored on a bloop double that left fielder Clayton Chadwick laid out for, but couldn't quite corral after getting a late jump.

Georgia's high-powered offense remained stuck in high gear most of the afternoon.

The Bulldogs mustered just one run on four hits. Collins provided the lone tally with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

"It’s good to see that your guys have got some fight," Johnson said. "I know we only scored one run. There was a couple of guys I thought that were trying to hit 10-run homers up there. That just means they care. That just means that they’re trying to get us back into the game. We got outside of our approach a little bit, especially after that second inning."

Still, there are reasons for optimism heading into game two.

The Bulldogs had multiple hard-hit balls that turned into outs throughout the day. That trend continued even into the later innings, with Collins being robbed of a hit thanks to a diving play by Wolfpack first baseman Garrett Pennington.

"At that point, we’re all just kind of chuckling. It’s how it’s going today," Collins said. You can’t change it, but you’ve just got to keep putting swings on it. I try to live by the quote of, you make a barrel that’s good, but getting a hit’s a bonus."

With the season on the line tomorrow, Georgia is expected to turn to Leighton Finley as the starting pitcher.

The sophomore is 5-1 on the year with a 4.41 ERA.

"He’s a competitor," said Chandler Marsh, who provided four big innings of relief on Saturday. "I have the full confidence in him. I know everyone else on this team does. He’s been a guy here for the past two seasons. He’s got unreal stuff and he’s an unreal competitor. No matter how the stuff is, kind of to his level or not, he’s going to give it all he has. That’s all we can ask for."

While Marsh is likely unavailable tomorrow, he spoke for the confidence of the entire pitching staff heading into a do-or-die contest.

"We have a lot of really good guys that threw today and guys that will throw tomorrow," Marsh said. "We have plenty of guys, from our starter tomorrow to the end of the bullpen. We have a bunch of really good dudes that the pitching staff has confidence in and the hitters also have confidence in. We’ve been playing really well as a team kind of together. We know the hitters are going to pick the pitchers up tomorrow and the pitchers are going to pick the hitters up tomorrow."

Game two will begin at noon tomorrow on ESPNU.