[su_spacer size=”20″] Georgia clinched its second straight SEC road series Saturday, defeating seventh-ranked South Carolina 6-5 in 11 innings and then 4-3 at Carolina Stadium.

This is the second consecutive year the Bulldogs have won a series over the Gamecocks and the first series win in Columbia since 1994. Georgia improved to 18-10 overall, 5-3 in the SEC while USC fell to 18-9 (4-4 SEC). Also of note, the Bulldogs won their first SEC road series over a top 10 team since 2006 when they won two of three over third-ranked Mississippi State. Last weekend, Georgia swept Tennessee in Knoxville.
[su_spacer size=”20″]

[su_spacer size=”20″] In the first game of the series, Georgia and the Gamecocks were tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth Friday when play was halted due to rain. When play resumed Saturday, Bulldog sophomore Mike Bell provided the go-ahead RBI-single in the top of the 11th. Freshman Keegan McGovern led off with a base hit, took second on a sacrifice bunt by Trevor Kieboom. Then, Bell stepped up and delivered the big hit off Jack Wynkoop. Senior Jared Cheek, who got the final two outs of the eighth on Friday, returned to finish the contest and earned the victory. He tossed a combined 3.2 scoreless innings to improve to 2-1. Wynkoop, who was slated to start the second game of the series, fell to 4-2 after allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts over three innings.

 

In the second game of the series in front of a sellout crowd of 8,242, Georgia jumped ahead 2-0 in the first, getting RBI-singles from Jared Walsh and Kieboom off USC starter Reed Scott. In the second inning, Georgia extended its lead to 4-0 as Skyler Weber delivered an RBI-single and Zack Bowers executed a safety squeeze bunt. The Gamecocks pushed across a run in the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Gene Cone off junior left-hander Ryan Lawlor to make it 4-1. Georgia went to the bullpen to start the fifth and senior Zach Waters recorded two outs and two walks before the Bulldogs looked to junior Sean McLaughlin. Jordan Gore had a 13-pitch at bat before drawing a walk to load the bases for DC Arendas. McLaughlin came back to strike him out to maintain the three-run edge.
[su_spacer size=”20″]

[su_spacer size=”20″] In the ninth, first baseman Kyle Martin launched his fifth home run, a two-run shot that brought the Gamecocks to within one at 4-3. However, McLaughlin and the Bulldogs closed it out to clinch the series. McLaughlin tossed 4.1 innings and struck out five to move his record to 3-1. Scott dropped to 0-1, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts. Also of note Saturday, in the second inning of game two, Wrenn reached on a single to extend his on base streak to all 28 games this season.

 

“We found a way to win the first two in the series, and it was a great day for the Georgia Bulldogs,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said. “We had 15 walks in the first game; I’ve never seen that and we still won. Overall, it was a gutty performance by everybody, and we scratched a few runs across all day. As a coach, you hope for a bigger cushion, but the guys came through in both games.  I thought it was important to get an early lead in the second game and that took the crowd out of it.”

 

The series concludes Sunday with first pitch slated for 1:35 p.m. (SEC Network+).