In an extra innings thriller, the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs capped off a three-game sweep of the No. 11 Auburn Tigers. This is the first time since 2008 that the Bulldogs have swept two ranked teams in back-to-back series.
Daniel Jackson was the hero in the bottom of the tenth for Georgia in Game Three. He hit a three-run home run to right field, winning the game in a walk off. It was a moment that reminded him why he transferred to Georgia from Wofford.
“This is why I wanted to come here, to be part of stuff like this,” Jackson said. “And it feels awesome to get that win, especially down by two. You know, guys stacking at bats, putting me in a position where I could get that done. I mean, they made it easy on me.”
Georgia found itself trailing in the final game of Saturday's doubleheader. A fourth-inning sacrifice fly saw the Bulldogs fall behind 4-3, a deficit that would last until the bottom of the sixth.
That was when Georgia’s offense got going. First, via a Slate Alford double, followed by a Nolan McCarthy single, and Jackson reached base on a hit by pitch. Alford would then score off a groundout from starting catcher Hunter Henry before a Kolby Branch RBI single scored McCarthy.
But that wasn’t the last time the Bulldogs needed their offense. Their one-run lead would be lost in the top of the ninth as a leadoff double from Auburn’s Bristol Carter later saw him score thanks to a passed ball and a groundout.
Auburn retook the lead in the top of the tenth inning with a two-run home run from Bub Terrell. That set the stage for another Georgia comeback.
“I think we talk a lot about it, we don't panic,” Wes Johnson said. “You know, we just play the game and you got to just understand that it's hard for those guys too. It's hard for them; they've got to execute the pitch, they have to throw to our guys, and our guys can hit too.”
Offensively, Georgia was led by Alford. The senior third baseman went 3-for-4 at the plate while drawing a walk. He was the only Bulldog to register multiple hits, as Robbie Burnett, Ryan Black, Christian Adams, and Ryland Zaborowski also tallied a hit.
As for the pitching, Georgia turned to seven different arms. Starting pitcher Leighton Finley gave up solo home runs in the first two innings. His only other earned run came in the fourth, where his final baserunner scored on a sacrifice fly following his exit.
Finley pitched three innings for Georgia. He gave up four hits and three runs while striking out three batters. He was followed in relief by Matthew Hoskins, who pitched three innings, allowing three hits and issuing a walk while totaling three strikeouts.
Jordan Stephens, Alton Davis II, Eric Hammond, Brian Zeldin, and DJ Radtke would also see action in relief. None of the five pitched for more than an inning. Hammond and Radtke were the only ones to give up runs. Hammond gave up just one in the ninth, while Radtke allowed two on the tenth inning home run.
“That lineup is dangerous, that lineup's got the ability to put up a lot of runs,” Johnson said of Auburn. “And we had a fresh pin, or we had a lot of guys, and we said, let's go match it up and see what happens.”
Game
Game one of the doubleheader
In his second start of the season, Brian Curley put together another impressive outing, leading Georgia to an 11-7 win.
Curley went five innings, giving up five hits and four runs and issuing three walks while striking out six batters. He threw a season-high 91 pitches, which beat the 84 he threw in his first start last week versus Florida.
After relying on their pitching Friday, which stymied the Auburn offense, Georgia’s bats got going after a slow start Saturday. The Bulldogs were held hitless until the fourth inning, where Alford reached base with a single.
However, the floodgates opened in the fifth and sixth innings after that single. Starting in the fifth with a leadoff single from Branch, Georgia got six runs on five hits.
Then, following Auburn’s four-run top of the sixth inning, Georgia’s offense came alive again. Both Zaborowski and Alford reached base with singles before Adams drove them home with a three-run homerun. Jackson gave Georgia another run as he reached home on an error.
McCarthy led the way for Georgia at the plate. The senior outfielder finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and two RBIs.
With the two wins Saturday, Georgia moves to 28-2 on the year and 8-1 in SEC play. It's a hot start to the conference portion of the schedule, but Johnson says he will remind his team that things can change quickly.
“I don't think I've ever started 8-1,” Johnson said. “It means we got 21 of these things left, and you can turn it. This league don't care, man. You better be hooked up and ready to go. They don't care.”
Georgia will be back in action Tuesday, April 1st, when it hosts Queens University of Charlotte. The first pitch at Foley Field is set for 3 p.m. EST.
