COLUMBIA, MO.— The 20th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs completed an SEC road sweep of Missouri
Saturday, winning 7-1 at Taylor Stadium.
Junior first baseman Adam Sasser posted an impressive series, going 7-for-13, blasting four home runs with 10 RBI to lead the Bulldogs who improved to 33-14 overall and 15-9 in the SEC. It was Georgia’s first conference sweep on the road since 2015 versus Tennessee.
Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the first. It started with a two-out walk to senior Keegan McGovern who made his way on after falling behind in the count 0-2. It extended his on-base streak to a team-best 35 games. Then, he picked up his seventh stolen base. After Michael Curry drew a walk, Sasser (2-for-4, 4 RBI) lined an RBI-single to score McGovern. In the second, freshman C.J. Smith (2-for-5, 2 RBI) made it 2-0 with a two-out, RBI-single. In the third, Sasser struck again, winning a spirited battle with right-hander Bryce Montes De Oca, smashing a three-run home run on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. It was his fourth home run of the series, gave him 10 RBI for the weekend and a 5-0 lead. The Bulldogs added a pair of runs on three hits and a Tiger error in the sixth to extend their lead to 7-0. The Tigers (30-18, 9-15 SEC) got their lone run in the sixth on an RBI-single by Matt Berler.
Bulldog junior left-hander Kevin Smith (6-1) returned to the rotation for the first time since March 2, and provided 5.1 innings for the victory, surrendering just one run on three hits. During the last two months, Smith had helped shore up the bullpen, going 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 15 relief appearances. Sophomore Will Proctor went 1.2 scoreless innings, freshman Ryan Webb pitched the eighth with two strikeouts and senior Blake Cairnes handled the ninth. DeOca got the loss to fall to 6-4, allowing five runs on four hits in two innings.
“It’s difficult to sweep anybody in this league, and we challenged the guys to find a way and finish it today and they did,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “Kevin Smith got an opportunity to get back in the rotation, and he stepped up as did the guys in the bullpen today including Ryan Webb who was in the rotation. Everybody is accepting their roles and performing when they get a chance. Our pitching staff only allowed four hits, and our defense was really good again. Also, I’d have to mention the 10-pitch at bat that Sasser had on his home run, that might be the best at-bat of the year, and he had an outstanding series.”
Also, sophomore third baseman Aaron Schunk (1-for-5) extended his hitting streak to 15 games while redshirt freshman catcher Mason Meadows (1-for-4) now has a career-best eight-game hitting streak.
The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, May 8th versus Georgia Tech at SunTrust Park in the 16th annual Farmview Market Spring Classic, a benefit for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Tickets are $15 and parking is $10 a car or $40 for a bus. Ticket information can be found at www.give.choa.org or via Ticketmaster. Gates open at 5 p.m., and first pitch will be at 7:02 p.m.
The game will be televised on the SEC Network and carried on the Bulldog Sports Network from IMG. Georgia won the on-campus meetings this year and is aiming to sweep the season series for the second straight year.