Missed opportunities cost Bulldogs
Georgia’s 6-5 loss in 10 innings to Missouri Friday night can be summed up in two words: missed opportunities.
“You’ve got to learn from what you did and did wrong, and we certainly had plenty of opportunities,” head coach Wes Johnson said. “We had multiple opportunities to win this ball game tonight. But we’ve got to learn to slow the game down, get our heartbeat under control, and understand we have to believe and go execute.”
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs (26-9, 6-8) there was not a lot of execution going on.
Georgia left 15 runners on base, but none bigger than in the bottom of the ninth, after Kolby Branch stood 90 feet away as the potential winning run after tying the game on an RBI triple.
But he stayed right there as pinch-hitter Fernando Gonzalez struck out before Sebastian Murillo grounded out to first baseman Brock Daniels with the infield in.
Corey Collins was next, but Georgia’s left fielder lined right into the shift to end the inning and send the game to the 10th, only to have a pair of errors ultimately give Missouri the win.
“We had the runner there on third in the ninth, tie ball game, no outs, and couldn’t get some things done,” Johnson said. “Those are the things where good things have got to execute, and right now we’re not doing that.”
As a result, Georgia lost a game it undoubtedly should have won.
His team’s play in the top of the 10th didn’t help Johnson’s feelings, either.
The inning started with Kaden Peer leading off with an infield hit before scooting over to second on a throwing error by Branch.
Following a sacrifice punt moving Peer to third, Georgia brought its infield in. Missouri catcher Jedier Herandez proceeded to hit the ball right at Murillo, only to have the ball get under his glove, scoring Peer for what turned out to be the winning run.
The game ended with Logan Jordan taking a called third strike with Slate Alford at first base.
“We just didn’t play very well. We didn’t get it done,” Branch said. “We left tons on base, myself included, and booted some balls here and there. But we’ll get them tomorrow.”
The Bulldogs will have to do a better job with runners in scoring position to make that happen. Georgia left the bases loaded in the fifth and two more on in the sixth. But the biggest wasted opportunity may have come in the eighth.
After Collins dunked a double to left, Charlie Condon (2-for-4, one RBI) was walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out.
Unfortunately, that’s as far as they would go, as Alford (2-for-4 with a home run) and Jordan both struck out on swings Johnson would have liked to have had back.
“I don’t know why we’re all of a sudden chasing a little more than we have been,” said Johnson, whose team led 4-1 before the Tigers (16-20, 5-9) grabbed a 5-4 lead on a three-run homer by Trevor Austin in the seventh.
“I think our heartbeat is a little fast; guys are trying too hard,” Johnson said. “We’ve just got to slow down and play the game.”
Bulldog starter Leighton Finley gave the Bulldogs all they could ask for.
The right-hander scattered five hits over five innings, with just one walk and a career-high six strikeouts.
At one point, the Richmond Hill native retired eight straight before a fourth-inning single by Hernandez.
Finley would leave after giving in favor of Brian Zeldin, whose only mistake was deposited by Austin over the fence in the seventh inning for a 5-4 lead.
Alford gave Georgia its first run with a solo homer in the second off the batter’s eye in center.
The Bulldogs scored twice more in the second, one on a wild pickoff throw by Lance Lunceford and the second on a bases-loaded walk to Jordan.
NOTES: The Bulldogs lost freshman Tre Phelps to an apparent knee injury in the seventh. After fouling a pitch off on a 1-2 count, Phelps fell to the ground and had to be carried off the field. Johnson did not immediately have an update after the game. … Georgia and Missouri wrap up their series Saturday at 3:30 p.m.