Tenth-inning homer dooms Bulldogs
Georgia hasn’t wasted many opportunities over recent weeks, but Friday’s game against Florida was an exception.
The result was a 7-4 loss in 10 innings to the Gators, thanks to a 3-run home run by Luke Heyman.
Georgia’s loss snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Bulldogs (39-13, 17-12), who only left six on bases, but did so in the most inopportune of times.
That included the first inning after Georgia failed to score after Corey Collins and Charlie Condon led off by reaching base, and the sixth when the Bulldogs loaded the bases with just one out but did not score.
“I think we swung at five to seven balls out of the zone in that little stretch kept you from breaking it open or putting some runs on the board,” skipper Wes Johnson said of the first inning. “We do that, and it’s a completely different game. But again, you tip your cap to their guy and it’s like I told our guys, hard things are good, you’ve got to enjoy doing things that are hard, facing pitchers like today, and we’ve got to learn from that.”
The Bulldogs will need to flush the loss quickly.
Although Georgia is still expected to host one of the 16 NCAA Regionals, the Bulldogs’ hopes of earning a top-eight national seed could take a hit if Johnson’s squad cannot win the series from the Gators on Saturday.
To do that, Georgia must beat Florida ace Jac Caglianone (5-1, 4.07). Johnson was unsure who he would start.
“We’ve just got to put together a bunch of quality of at-bats and make him work,” said Collins, who homered twice and drove in three of the Bulldogs’ runs. “You try to get his pitch count up, and when he puts the ball over the plate, try to do damage.”
Georgia starting pitcher Leighton Finley delivered another strong performance.
The Richmond Hill native allowed just one run on three hits in six innings with two walks and eight strike outs. In his last four starts, Finley has an ERA of 2.04 over 22 innings, giving up just five earned runs with 33 strikeouts.
“Leighton is just learning how to pitch,” Johnson said. “I’ve talked a lot about Leighton, he was a reliever this summer and had a really good year in the Cape. Learning how to navigate through a lineup that second time, and even some of that third time is tough, but he’s starting to understand the plan. When I made that visit in the sixth, I was getting him, but he said no, I’ve got it. He told me his plan, I said alright, that’s what it needs to be, so go get ‘em.”
Unfortunately, Brian Zeldin’s recent outings have not been so effective.
After allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings of relief on Saturday, Zeldin (3-3) has now allowed 14 runs over his 10.2 innings.
“I’ve told people about this Florida Gators team if we miss over the plate, it doesn’t matter who’s on the mound, Kolton (Smith), Leighton, Zeldin, they get off really good swings, they’re big, they’re physical and they’ve got good bat speed,” Johnson said. “Brian’s been one way or the other. He’s either striking them out or he’s giving up hard contact. You look at the strikeouts, he’s executing pitches really well, but with the hard contact, he’s getting too much of the plate. But we’ll continue to work with him.”
Florida pitcher Liam Peterson limited Georgia to just two hits over the first 4.2 innings until Collins blasted a two-run homer over the fence in right.
Collins’ 17th homer preceded Slate Alford’s RBI single making the score 3-1. No. 18 came in the seventh, an opposite-field blast to left-center field
For a team not known for its defense, a pair of huge plays were keys for the Bulldogs.
After the Gators drew within 3-2 in the seventh, a diving catch by right-fielder Dylan Goldstein saved the tying run, sending the Bulldogs into the bottom of the inning still up by one.
Earlier, Bulldog center fielder Clayton Chadwick made an even more impressive in the second when he robbed Florida’s Tyler Shelnut of a home run.
Shelnut hit the ball high to right center, but Chadwick leaped high, catching the ball approximately a foot over the wall, battling tree limbs to pull it back before running off the field before Florida (27-26, 12-17) tied the game with two in the eighth.
NOTES:
…Catcher Henry Hunter was thrown out of the game in the second inning by home plate umpire Brandon Bennett for arguing what he thought was a foul ball off his foot. The play went for a 1-3 putout. Logan Jordan replaced Hunter in the game.
…Georgia and Florida wrap up their series Saturday at 2.