(Photo by John Kelley)
[su_spacer size=”40″] The Bulldogs (21-20, 6-11 SEC) approached the Clemson game as a staff night on the mound as four pitchers combined on a shutout. Senior LHP JaredWalsh pitched the first two innings followed by junior RHP Mike Mancuso who provided the next four, freshman LHP Ryan Avidano took care of two and seniorJared Cheek completed the shutout in the ninth. It was the first combined two-hitter by the Bulldogs since 2008 (a 19-1 win over Jacksonville State). Offensively, Georgia was 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position Tuesday after going 2-for-30 in the previous four games. The Bulldogs hit .416 (5-for-12) with two outs against Clemson, and Georgia turned three double plays as no Tiger made it past second base.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia is batting .268 with 31 home runs and 52 stolen bases. The Bulldogs have a 4.18 ERA and are fielding .971. Auburn is batting .286 with 15 home runs and 31 stolen bases while posting a 3.45 ERA and a .975 fielding percentage. All six of Georgia’s SEC wins this season have come on the road, starting with a sweep of Tennessee, going 2-1 at then #7 South Carolina and 1-2 versus Alabama. Georgia is 0-8 at home in the SEC, getting swept by Missouri and top-ranked Vanderbilt and dropping a pair to No. 2 LSU.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Junior RHP David Sosebee (2-1, 1.95 ERA) is returning to form after missing almost a month with a back injury. He began the year as Georgia’s No. 3 starter before being sidelined on March 15. Since getting back to action on April 7, Sosebee has made three relief appearances for a total of 7.2 innings and allowed just two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. He will start Thursday against Auburn. Bulldog ace Robert Tyler (1-0, 3.86 ERA), who was named the nation’s top sophomore pro prospect heading in to 2015, has been sidelined with a forearm strain since Feb. 27.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Junior RHP Sean McLaughlin (3-3, 5.06 ERA) will start Friday while junior LHP Ryan Lawlor (4-5, 3.11 ERA) gets the start Saturday. Auburn’s rotation will be redshirt sophomore RHP Cole Lipscomb (5-1, 2.19 ERA), senior RHP Rocky McCord (3-3, 3.81 ERA) and sophomore RHP Keegan Thompson (7-3, 3.17 ERA). The Tigers edged Florida A&M 3-2 at home this past Tuesday while last weekend in the SEC, they posted a 2-1 series win over Ole Miss in Auburn.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Bulldog sophomore center fielder Stephen Wrenn (.321-5-22, 20 SB) has reached base safely in 40 of 41 games this year. He saw his on base streak end at 38 games after going 0-4 in game one of last Saturday’s doubleheader with No. 2 LSU. Wrenn’s 20 stolen bases ranks second in the SEC and is the most by a Bulldog since 2009 when Johnathan Taylor had 23. Georgia’s leading hitter in SEC action is junior first baseman Daniel Nichols at .300-1-9. Overall, Nichols is batting .308-4-21.
[su_spacer size=”40″] In records dating back to 1950, Auburn leads the series 101-85. The teams last met in 2013 in Auburn with the Tigers taking the series 2-1. Georgia’s last series win came in 2012 when it swept the Tigers in Athens. The last time the Bulldogs won a series at Auburn came in 2006, and it was a sweep. [su_spacer size=”40″]
Following the Bulldogs – Georgia vs Auburn
TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan; Gabe Gross), All three games
SEC Network TV Video Links
Thurs. at Auburn; 7 pm ET
Fri. at Auburn, 7 pm ET
Sat. at 1 pm ET
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston)
Stations: 960 AM-WRFC and selected affiliates (check your local listings), georgiadogs.com;