Power is South Carolina’s game. Make a mistake against the Gamecocks, and the baseball can fly a long way.

That’s a lesson Georgia learned the hard way on Sunday as South Carolina blasted three home runs to beat the Bulldogs, 5-1.

The Gamecocks, who lead the SEC with 47 home runs, hit four in Saturday’s 13-7 win and out-homered the Bulldogs 8-3 to win the weekend series.

“Our hits stayed in the park and theirs didn’t,” said Georgia skipper Scott Stricklin, whose Bulldogs outhit the Gamecocks 8-7. “That’s a really strong, physical, mature lineup, one through nine. Up and down their order, everybody’s dangerous. It’s a scary lineup to pitch to, and they’re going to make a lot of noise this year.”

It did not take the Gamecocks (19-7, 6-3) long, as leadoff hitter Brady Allen jumped on the first pitch of the game from Jonathan Cannon (1-2) and deposited it over the fence in right for a quick 1-0 lead.

Allen would also homer later in the game for a 4-1 lead.

Cannon was up and down. After giving up Allen’s leadoff homer, the right-hander retired the next nine batters before Braylen Wimmer singled, leading off the fifth.

The inning quickly unraveled after that.

A solo homer by catcher Collin Burges was followed two batters later by Allen with a two-run homer to push the Gamecocks’ lead to three.

Burgess accounted for South Carolina’s fifth and final run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, which was more than enough for freshman starter Will Sanders (5-1), who scattered eight hits with four strikeouts over eight innings.

The tall right-hander started the ninth, before being pulled after a hit- by-pitch and a double by Garrett Blaylock for Georgia in the bottom of the ninth.

However, there would be no rally for the Bulldogs (18-9, 3-6) as Julian Bosnic retired the next three hitters to record his first save.

“That was the main difference. They hit the long ball and we didn’t,” said center fielder Ben Anderson, who scored Georgia’s only run in the third following his one-out triple. “We out-hit them, but they hit the long ball and that was the difference.” Cannon, meanwhile, was charged with all five runs over five-plus innings with one walk and four strikeouts.

Michael Polk, Collin Caldwell, Nolan Crisp, and Ben Harris would silence the Gamecocks on just one hit over the final four innings, but the damage was done.

“I felt really good throwing through the first three or four innings, and then they made some good swings on some bad pitches,” Cannon said. “I made some mistakes in the fifth inning, and they didn’t miss them. Give credit to them, but that’s something I need to work on next week in preparing for Vanderbilt.”

Boxscore

Garrett Blaylock has been the designated hitter, played first base, and also third during the course of his Georgia career.

Sunday, he added second base to his resume. At 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, the senior is bigger than most who play the position, but showed Sunday that his size does not matter.

In the third inning, leadoff batter Brady Allen hit a hard grounder to the right of Blaylock, who threw back across his body to nip the Gamecocks’ leadoff batter at first.

“He’s earned his way into the lineup,” Stricklin said. “He’s had good at-bats and really good batting practices the past few days. I was just trying to figure out a way. I was lying in bed last night thinking how to get guys in the lineup, and really the only way to do it was to put Garrett at second.”

Even with the expected return of Josh McAllister from Friday’s hamstring injury, Blaylock’s bat could ensure he’ll be somewhere in Georgia’s lineup.

“When you’re hitting .370, it’s not tough to find a spot for you,” Stricklin said. “When McAllister is healthy, he’s going to be back in there, but everybody has to earn their keep and earn their spot. Guys who are having good at-bats and making plays are going to get in the lineup.”

Georgia returns to action Tuesday with a home game against Georgia Southern at 5 p.m. before traveling to Nashville for three against Vanderbilt starting Thursday.