BASEBALL: Ben Anderson Extends On-Base Streak in Loss
South Carolina defeated 17th-ranked Georgia 13-7 to even an SEC series Saturday at Founders Park in front of a crowd of 7,124.
USC sophomore right-hander Will Sanders pitched into the seventh inning, registering nine strikeouts and scattering four runs on five hits to improve to 5-1. Bulldog starter Garrett Brown fell to 0-1. He allowed five runs on three hits with four walks over 3.1 innings. USC left-hander Matthew Becker pitched the final 2.2 innings for a save and gave up three runs on two hits.
The Gamecocks (15-15, 4-7 SEC) took a 2-0 lead in the second on an RBI-groundout by Colin Burgess while Josiah Sightier scored on a wild pitch by Brown. Georgia (23-8, 7-4 SEC) missed a scoring opportunity in the first when it put runners at the corners with one out. However, Sanders came back to retire the next two Bulldogs. In the fourth, the Gamecocks managed to score three runs on one hit as the runs scored on a bases-loaded walk, a hit by pitch and another wild pitch to extend their lead to 5-0.
With two outs in the fifth, Georgia responded. Graduate Ben Anderson lined a single to left and graduate Cole Tate followed with his second home run of the year, a two-run shot to close the gap to 5-2. For Anderson, he now has reached base in all 29 games he’s played in this season. USC answered in the bottom of the inning as Burgess smashed a three-run home run off Luke Wagner for an 8-2 lead. Georgia chased Sanders in the seventh and scored a couple of runs on a sacrifice fly by Tate and Corey Collins to make it 8-4.
In the eighth, Bulldog pinch-hitter Fernando Gonzalez led off with a double to right. Sophomore Parks Haber followed with an opposite field two-run blast, his sixth of the year, to bring Georgia within two at 8-6. After two scoreless innings of relief including striking out four straight, Michael Polk ran into trouble in the eighth.
He issued three walks before Georgia looked to Collin Caldwell. He allowed a bases-loaded walk to Brandt Belk and then a two-run single to pinch-hitter Talmadge LeCroy as the Gamecocks built their lead back to 11-6. The Bulldogs brought in Coleman Willis who got the final two outs but not before a two-run double by Andrew Eyster capped a five-run outburst. Anderson smacked a solo home run in the top of the ninth, his sixth of the year, for the final.
“We had a chance after getting down 8-2, as we made it 8-4 and then 8-6, and we just needed to close the door in the eighth inning, and then I would’ve liked our chances” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “We had a chance if we kept it 8-6, but if doesn’t help you, we just didn’t get it done There was too many free passes and free opportunities, and luck is not going to go your way when you do that.
“We’re excited to get Liam (Sullivan) back out there Sunday. He’s going to be on a pitch count. We’ve got (Jack) Gowen, (Jaden) Woods, (Will) Pearson, (Chandler) Marsh, the bullpen is fresh. We feel like we’re in good shape. We’d love to see Liam get off to a good start. That would give us a lot of confidence. They (USC) are probably going to have a bullpen day, and we don’t know who is going to start for them. (Matthew) Becker the guy that finished for them today was the scheduled Sunday starter. We’re going to have a good approach and grind out at bats.”
The rubber game of the series will be Sunday with first pitch at 12:02 p.m. (SEC Network).
Quick Hits
*Graduate Ben Anderson extended his on base streak go to 29 games when he lined a single to left in the fifth and added a solo home run in the ninth. He has reached base safely in every game he has played in this season. Senior Cory Acton’s base hit in the seventh gave him a season-high 12-game on base streak.
*Sophomore Parks Harber smashed his sixth home run of the year to extend his hitting streak to six games in the eighth.
*USC scored seven of its 13 runs Saturday without the benefit of a hit, getting three bases-loaded walks, two on wild pitches, one on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and one on a groundout. Georgia finished with 11 walks.
MTENNIS: No.10 UGA vs. No.14 UK in Lexington Today
Date: Sunday, April 10
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Lexington, Kentucky.
Site: Boone Tennis Center
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/6d1387bb/9U9ZHPWw2UenQW_Z7UyPvw?u=https://gado.gs/8bg
Live Stream:https://link.edgepilot.com/s/c4ce416c/x9CUSfXVjUqr25Pj5_Vubg?u=https://gado.gs/94d
Live Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/14e98079/ck1ThyCVkk_-8IES0fHQPw?u=https://gado.gs/94b
Media Guide: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/0913a0b4/qZYeOsKBg0ST122_wA-C9Q?u=https://gado.gs/8bi
The Bulldogs
Trent Bryde, Blake Croyder, Mathis Debru, Erik Grevelius, Philip Henning, Britton Johnston, Tristan McCormick, Thomas Paulsell, Miguel Perez Peña, Hamish Stewart and Ethan Quinn make up the roster for the Georgia Bulldogs for the 2021-22 season.
Georgia appeared at the No.10 spot in the team rankings in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Ranking released Wednesday, April 6.
Several Georgia men’s tennis players were featured in the latest ITA National Rankings for singles and doubles that were also released Wednesday, April 6.
Four Bulldogs appear in the singles rankings and four pairs in the doubles rankings. Graduate transfer Stewart leads the pack with a new career-high ranking at No.11 and fellow graduate transfer Tristan McCormick rings in at No.56. 2020 ITA All-American senior Philip Henning takes the No.64 spot and four-time ITA All-American senior Trent Bryde rounds out the pack at No.97.
For doubles, Bryde and Henning are ranked No.14, McCormick and Stewart take the No.40-ranking, Henning and Stewart are the No.81-ranked doubles pair and senior Blake Croyder and junior Erik Grevelius combine to form the No.90 doubles pair.
MBB: Ben Gonzalez Named the Director of Operations
Ben Gonzalez has been named the Director of Operations for Georgia Basketball, head coach Mike White announced on Saturday.
Gonzalez arrives in Athens after spending the past four seasons in the same role at Florida Atlantic. He also was an undergraduate and graduate manager at Florida for three years.
“I’m looking forward to working with Ben again,” White said. “He was a tremendous student manager for us at UF and enjoyed breakthrough success at FAU. He’s very driven and intense in his tasks.”
“I am very honored and excited to be able to work for Coach White again,” Gonzalez said. “I think of Coach White and many others on our staff as family, and I am grateful to be working with such high-quality people.”
Gonzalez joined the Owls’ staff in 2018 shortly after the introduction of head coach Dusty May, one of three former White assistants at Florida who are now Division-I head coaches. Gonzalez’s responsibilities at Georgia will mirror his duties at FAU, where he managed the team’s budget and travel, developed and organized itineraries for recruiting official visits and recruited and developed the team’s student managers. In addition, he played a major role in the staging of May’s team and individual camps.
While a student at Florida, Gonzalez worked with White during his first three seasons as the Gators’ head coach. He spent two years as an undergraduate manager before serving as a graduate manager for the 2017-18 campaign. During that time Florida recorded 68 wins, advancing to the 2016 NIT quarterfinals, the 2017 NCAA “Elite Eight” and the 2018 NCAA round of 32.
Gonzalez also was active in the UF Athletic Association’s “Blue Shirt” marketing organization in 2014 and 2015. He aided with staging of ESPN’s College GameDay and the Gators’ “Link to Pink” breast cancer awareness initiative. Gonzalez also took part in the group’s football project team that was tasked with developing ideas to enhance fan experience and spark excitement at the Gators’ games.
Since 2017, Gonzalez has been involved with the Uncommon Sports Group, a faith-based organization founded by former student managers designed to develop leaders in the sports industry. His activities include traveling to Liberia to help lead a three-week sports camp, representing the group at the men’s Final Four to attract new members and leading a tour of FAU Athletics facilities for 15 participants selected for an “Impact Trip.”
A native of Tampa, Fla., Gonzalez has two degrees from Florida. He earned his bachelor’s in Sport Management in three years in 2017 and added a master’s in Sport Management a year later.
Gonzalez is the third addition to the Bulldogs’ staff announced this week, joining Bryce Douglas, the Special Assistant to the Head Coach and Director of Scouting, and Julie Danielson, the Video Coordinator.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome these three individuals,” White said. “They are very talented professionals and great people.”
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