(Photo by Emily Selby)
The Georgia baseball team defeated Missouri 5-2 Sunday to win an SEC road series at Taylor Stadium.
Freshman catcher Michael Curry continued his recent power surge, smashing his fifth home run in the last week including third of the series, to put Georgia in front 1-0 in the fourth inning. It was his team-leading 11th home run, one behind the SEC leaders entering Sunday (J.B. Woodman, Ole Miss and JaVon Shelby, Kentucky). In the fifth, Mitchell Webb reached on a strikeout wild pitch, stole second base and scored on a two-out hit by junior Skyler Weber. It was the third hit of the afternoon for Weber, marking the seventh time this year has done that.
In the seventh, Georgia stretched its lead to 5-0, scoring three runs on two hit. Curry keyed the rally with a two-out, two-run single after Weber and Stephen Wrenn drew walks to load the bases. Then, freshman LJ Talley capped the scoring with an RBI-double. The Tigers got a run back in their half of the inning when senior Zach Lavy led off with a home run, his eighth of the year.
“Heath Holder was really good again today, and that was one of the keys to getting a series win,” Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin said. “Before the game, we were hoping get off to a good start with Heath, get Keegan McGovern going with a couple of hits, have Michael Curry continue his hot hitting and get in the their bullpen, and we were able to do all those things.”
In the series, Curry batted .467, collecting seven hits including four home runs and six RBI. He has hit five home runs in his last five games. Holder improved to 4-3 on the year while Michael Plassmeyer dropped to 4-6. Holder went seven innings and struck out nine while Bo Tucker notched his third save.
In the eighth, the Tigers threatened as the first two hitters reached and Georgia looked to sophomore Bo Tucker. He gave up a single to Ryan Howard that loaded the bases with nobody out. Up stepped Missouri’s best hitter in Lavy, who already had a home run on the day and smacked a grand slam on Saturday. However, Tucker struck him out. Missouri (25-27, 8-19 SEC) would manage just a run on a fieler’s choice as Georgia carried a 5-2 lead to the ninth.
“That was a tough spot that Bo came in to, and he managed it well, allowing just the one run. Overall, it was a big win for us and happy for the guys. We had a good week and now we’ve got another tough one coming up with Tech and Tennessee.”
The Bulldogs (26-26, 10-17 SEC) return to action Tuesday night in Atlanta against Georgia Tech in the 14th annual Spring Baseball Classic at Turner Field. Georgia owns a 9-4 edge in the classic that benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The Bulldogs have won the two on campus meetings with Tech this season, 3-1 in Atlanta and 13-5 in Athens. First pitch will be at 7 p.m., and tickets may be purchased at the gate for $12. Parking will be $5. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Georgia wraps up the regular season with an SEC series against Tennessee starting Thursday night at Foley Field.