Sunday, Mar. 13, 2016.
(Photo by David Barnes)
Georgia sweeps Lipscomb (9-7) with Sunday’s win at Foley Field with a strong pitching performance and a big day at the plate that propelled the Bulldogs to an 8-2 victory.
Georgia starter Connor Jones (3-0) earned the victory after tossing six scoreless innings and collecting a career-high eight strikeouts while only allowing two hits.
Freshman Logan Moody and sophomore Keegan McGovern led the Bulldog offense to eight runs on 13 hits. Moody hit his first career home run in the sixth inning and his four hits were the most by a Bulldog in a game this season. McGovern chipped in two hits and two more RBIs to his team-leading 19 RBIs.
After scoring one in the first, Georgia broke the game open with a four-run third inning. The inning was highlighted by McGovern’s two-RBI single and Michael Curry’s two-RBI double. The Bulldogs scored two more in the sixth behind Moody’s home run and an RBI double by Mike Bell. Mitchell Webb hit his first-career triple in the seventh and scored on a Skyler Weber single to cap Georgia’s scoring.
Lipscomb’s Brady Puckett (3-1) was credited with the loss after allowing five runs (one earned) on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts across five innings. The Bison broke up Georgia’s shutout bid on Lee Solomon’s two-run home run in the eighth inning.
Dawg Tracks
– Skyler Weber’s RBI single in the seventh extended his hitting streak to a career-best (and team-high) 12 games.
– Connor Jones turned in arguably his best collegiate start to earn the win and improve to 3-0. Jones’ six innings pitched were the second-most of his career while his eight strikeouts were a new career high.
– Freshman Logan Moody made his seventh start of the season and rewarded Georgia with a huge day at the plate. His sixth-inning home run was the first of his career and his four-hit game was the first multi-hit game of his career. His four hits were also the most by a Georgia player in a game this season.
– Georgia’s eight runs were its second-most of the season (10 against Charleston Southern on March 1) and its 13 hits were tied for the third-most of the season (15 against Cincinnati on February 27 and 14 against Charleston Southern on March 2).
– Mitchell Webb’s seventh inning triple was the first of his career. Webb came around to score on Weber’s single for Georgia’s final run.
Stricklin Says
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On today’s offense…
“It was good to see. I thought we had good at-bats all game long. We drew some big walks and got the pitch count up a little bit on their starter who is very good, 20 strike-outs to one walk coming into this series. It was good to our guys have good at-bats and get a couple good hits. Michael Curry had the double, Logan Moody was 4-5 and LJ Talley’s double really gave us some space. Keegan McGovern came through with another big hit. It’s really great to see all of these guys produce.”
On the confidence built after four runs in the third…
“Our guys were comfortable all day long in the batter’s box. They had good approaches, we drew some walks, we had guys on base almost every inning, and overall I thought we played very well.”
On Logan Moody’s performance…
“I thought he was the same as he was yesterday. He hit two balls right on the nose yesterday for outs and two line-drive outs. We knew he was going to hit. We watched him hit all summer. He was a guy that we signed late in the summer. He had success all summer long, always found a way to get on base and showed some power. He is big, strong, physical, and athletic, and he played really hard. You put all those things together and you’re going to get some hits.”
Players’ Perspective
Jr. P Connor Jones
On today’s win…
“It’s been a big day for the team. We took the first two in the series, but it was a great team sweep. It was a big day for us, everyone counts, especially when we’re heading into SEC play. It was good. Good team win for all of us.”
On his career-high eight strikeouts…
“I was just trying to get ahead in the count and bury guys while I was ahead. I was pretty successful at that today, but I know I can be even better out there next time. I’m just trying to improve on the little things each and every time. I’m definitely pleased with it.”
Fr. OF Logan Moody
On his performance…
“I was really just trying to stay with myself at the plate. Before the game, coach was talking about staying in the fast ball and hitting it early in the count, so that is what I was looking at- the first two or three pitches.”
On staying on top of the lead and carrying the success throughout the game…
“I think it does to an extent. Once you see that pitcher for a few at-bats, you get to know what he has and what he’s going to try to do your next time up. It definitely helps to get it going and get a run or two on the board like that.”
Up Next
Georgia will look to finish off the sweep against Lipscomb as the teams square off Sunday at 1 p.m.
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