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BASEBALL: Dawgs Wreck Tech – Again
Georgia blasted six home runs as part of a 15-hit attack to defeat 16th-ranked Georgia Tech 16-6 to clinch the season series Saturday in front of a Russ Chandler Stadium crowd of 3,394.
Georgia (8-2) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first courtesy of a wild pitch by left-hander Josiah Siegel. The Bulldogs had runners at second and third and nobody out when graduate Mason LaPlante raced home on the wild offering. He led off the game with a nine-pitch at bat, working a walk after falling behind in the count 0-2. LaPlante moved to third on a double to left by graduate Connor Tate, who extended his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games. In the second, graduate Will David made it 2-0 when he crushed a solo home run, his first as a Bulldog and seventh of his career. Tech (9-2) cut the deficit in half in the second as Jack Rubenstein reached on a leadoff triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by John Giesler.
The Bulldog offense responded in the third and chased Tech left-hander Josiah Siegel after a one-out single by Tate and a four-pitch walk to Charlie Condon. Tech turned to Aeden Finateri and Park Harber smashed his fist offering over the right field fence. The opposite field blast was his team-leading fifth and extended Georgia’s lead to 5-1. Tech got an unearned run in its half of the third to make it 5-2.
A day after not hitting a home run for the first game all season in Friday’s 7-2 win over Tech, Georgia blasted a couple more in a three-run fourth. With one out, Ben Anderson hit his second home run of the year. With one on and two outs, Condon launched his third of the year to dead centerfield for an 8-2 lead. In the fifth, a two-out run-scoring double by Sebastian Murillo gave the Bulldogs a 9-2 advantage.
Georgia junior left-hander Liam Sullivan got the start and provided 5.1 innings for the win to improve to 2-0. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Georgia turned to freshman Kolten Smith with one on and one out, and he promptly struck out the next two Tech hitters to end the frame. Smith went 1.2 innings and Will Pearson, Max DeJong and DJ Radtke took care of Tech the rest of the way.
The Bulldog continued to pour it on with a five-run outburst in the seventh. Anderson notched an RBI-single, Tate added a two-run single and Condon connected for his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to cap the frame, making it 14-2. In the eighth, freshman Josh Tate delivered a pinch-hit, two-run home run for the first hit of his career and a 16-3 lead.
“We have a really good lineup, and they have power, and we kept the pressure on every inning,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “We scored in seven of the nine innings today, and we got home runs throughout the lineup. I thought Liam (Sullivan) pitched really well. We have a chance to sweep the series, and I know Georgia Tech will come out ready Sunday.”
The three-game series concludes Sunday at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville in the 20th annual Spring Baseball Classic to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. First pitch is slated for 3:02 p.m. (SECN) and be carried on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
SOFTBALL: Shelby Walters’ no-hitter highlights wins in Bulldog Classic
The 18th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated Samford 9-0 in six innings then shutout Ball State 1-0 Saturday’s nightcap at Jack Turner Stadium.
The day was highlighted by a no-hitter tossed by graduate pitcher Shelby Walters against Samford. Georgia improves to 16-5 on the season.
No. 18 Georgia 9, Samford 0 (6 inn.)
Walters (7-1) pitched a six-inning no-hitter of the Samford Bulldogs (6-13) Saturday, the 47th no-hitter in the history of the Georgia softball program. Walters tied a season-best eight strikeouts and only walked two batters in an otherwise perfect game.
The most recent no-hitter was Kylie Macy’s perfect game a season ago on Feb. 25 against Bryant.
Pitching wasn’t the only bright spot in the game as the offense put up nine runs on nine hits including three home runs. Jayda Kearney, Sydney Kuma, and Jaiden Fields all homered and had two hits in the game. Kearney’s three-run blast in the sixth ended the run-rule victory.
Dallis Goodnight was hit by a pitch to leadoff the first, stole second, then tagged and took third on a flyout. A fielding error at third on a lineout allowed Goodnight to score and put Georgia on the board, 1-0. Following a walk to Lyndi Rae Davis, Kuma blasted her fourth home run of the season to make it a 3-0 game for Georgia.
Sara Mosley drove in Ellie Armistead in the second to widen the lead to 4-0 for the Dogs. Georgia made it a 5-0 lead in the third on an RBI groundout from freshman Marisa Miller. A solo home run from Fields made it 6-0 in the fifth.
A pair of base hits put two on in the sixth for Georgia. Kearney called game with a three-run home run in the sixth, enacting the run rule at 9-0 in six innings.
No. 18 Georgia 1, Ball State 0
The stellar pitching continued as Madison Kerpics (6-3) worked five scoreless innings in her start in the nightcap, allowing just two hits. She struck out four Cardinals. Walters entered in the top of the sixth and pitched the final two innings en route to her first save of the season.
The offense scattered five hits led by two from Kearney. Lyndi Rae Davis provided the game-winning hit, an RBI single in the fourth inning.
Georgia broke through in the bottom of the fourth. A one-out double from Kearney put a runner on. Pinch runner Hayley Eaton raced around third on a single to right off the bat of Davis to put Georgia ahead 1-0. Eaton’s excellent base running and slide into home proved the difference maker in the contest.
Ball State (7-7) threatened with a runner on second and no out in the sixth. Walters entered and worked out of the jam then shut down the Cardinals in the seventh for the Bulldogs victory.
Georgia concluded action at the Bulldog Classic Sunday against Samford. The battle of the Bulldogs begins at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.
MBB: Dawgs end regular season with loss at South Carolina
Despite a late effort, the University of Georgia men’s basketball team fell to South Carolina 61-55 on Saturday afternoon before 10,211 spectators at Colonial Life Arena.
Senior Terry Roberts led Georgia (16-15, 6-11 SEC) in scoring with 14 points and five rebounds, while Fifth-year Braelen Bridges tallied 12 points. Juniors Justin Hill and Mathew-Alexander Moncrieffe each pitched in with eight points. Hill, a native of Houston, Texas logged his 1000th career point in the final minutes of the game, at the charity stripe. On the afternoon, the Bulldogs shot 37.3 percent from the field.
“Credit to South Carolina,” said Georgia head coach Mike White following the game. “These guys have been through some adversity. They obviously finished with a win at home. Playing good basketball… I’m going to keep doing what I do and what we do as a staff. Challenge these guys. Motivate them. Love them. We have a great group of guys. They have done some good things this year. We’ve accomplished some stuff. Certainly, we’ve been struggling, searching for a win here down the stretch. Just continuing to remind them… It’s a new chapter. Everyone gets a clean slate. Anything can happen in conference tournaments and it’s our last chapter. How are we going to respond to struggling in the win/loss column down the stretch.”
South Carolina (11-20, 4-14 SEC) quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead heading into the first media break, however, the Bulldogs immediately responded with a 12-0 run. The Georgia lead grew to eight, thanks to a pair of fast break buckets by fifth-year Mardrez McBride and sophomore Jusaun Holt. South Carolina responded with an 8-3 run to close out the half. The Bulldogs entered the locker room up 27-25.
Coming out of the locker room Georgia jumped out to a 33-29 lead. The teams battled over the next 14 minutes of play – trading baskets – with neither team leading by more than two. With 2:19 remaining, a steal by Jailyn Ingram led to a fast-break 3-pointer by Jusaun Holt to give Georgia a 51-50 lead. South Carolina immediately responded forcing a pair of turnovers. Despite a late effort by the Bulldogs, the Gamecocks made eight free throws down the stretch to give South Carolina the 61-55 win.
Georgia returns to action on Wednesday, Mar. 8, when the Bulldogs face the LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. Tip is set to follow the opening game at approximately 9:15 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.
MTENNIS: Bulldogs beat Tigers in Auburn, 6-1
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn earned the match-clinching win as No. 9 Georgia defeated No. 14 Auburn, 6-1, at the Yarbrough Tennis Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Fresno, Calif. native won his fifth match of the spring on the top court in straight sets over No. 103 Tyler Stice. Georgia (8-5, 2-0 SEC) won its second consecutive match by a 6-1 result, picking up the doubles point and singles wins on courts one through five to defeat Auburn (11-3, 1-1 SEC).
“Today was probably our most disciplined and complete match so far this year,” said head coach Manny Diaz. “Our team was tough today. I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made – our culture is intact and showing through. This conference is so tough from top to bottom, and going on the road this first weekend was a big challenge. After a lot of travel early this spring, we are happy to be going home for two weeks and playing in front of our fans. We’re excited about a big match this Thursday against Texas A&M.”
The Bulldogs clinched the doubles point for the seventh time this year with wins on courts two and three. Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston swiftly gave Georgia a match advantage with a 6-1 win over Alejandro Moreno and Tyler Stice. Both courts one and two were close, but ultimately Teodor Giusca and Philip Henning earned the point-clinching win for the fourth time together by a 6-4 score. With the win, Henning tied Drake Bernstein with the 20th-most career doubles wins in program history at 82.
No. 67 Croyder extended Georgia’s match lead after winning in straight sets on court four over Galka by a 6-3, 6-1 score. The redshirt senior is now 10 wins away from entering the top 20 in career singles wins in program history. Giusca improved to 4-1 on court five with a straight-set victory against Raul Dobai in a 6-4, 6-1 decision, giving Georgia match point. No. 4 Quinn would get his second career match-clinching win against No. 103 Stice by a 6-4, 6-3 score.
The teams agreed to play out the remaining matches, with No. 115 Trent Bryde looking to close out his match versus Finn Murgett. The Suwannee native would improve to 8-4 in the dual match season, earning a 6-3, 7-5 win over his opponent. The matches on courts two and six would finish in third-set tiebreakers. Miguel Perez Peña could not overcome Billy Blaydes, losing by a 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 score in the breaker set. No. 17 Henning closed out the matches and the weekend for the Bulldogs with a win against Moreno, his seventh of the season.
Georgia returns to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Thursday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. ET to take on No. 49 Texas A&M. This will mark the first time the Bulldogs will play at their home facility in seven matches and their first home contest of the SEC schedule.
WTENNIS: UGA defeats Arkansas 4-1
The sixth-ranked University of Georgia women’s tennis team defeated No. 49 Arkansas 4-1 on Saturday afternoon in Southeastern Conference action.
In doubles action, Georgia (7-3) dropped two matches to Arkansas (6-4). The sophomore tandem of Guillermina Grant and Mai Niurndorn fell to No. 46 Indianna Spink and Morgan Cross 6-2 on court one, while No. 30 Meg Kowalski and Mell Reasco topped Lenka Stara and Grace O’Donnell 6-4. With the doubles point on the line, Anastasiia Lopata and Dasha Vidmanova fell to Kelly Keller and Carolina Gomez 7-5.
In singles, the Bulldogs won four matches. No. 18 Vidmanova defeated No. 74 Carolina Gomez 6-1, 6-2. This marked her fifth consecutive win and eighth-ranked win of the season. She was followed by No. 76 Reasco, who picked up a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Indianna Spink on court three. Seconds later, No. 112 Kowalski topped Lenka Stara 7-5, 6-3 on court five. Sixth-ranked Lea Ma clinched the match with a 7-6(4), 7-6(5) win over Kelly Keller.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Sunday, March 5, when they host the Missouri Tigers at 11 a.m. With a win, Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace would eclipse 800 career victories, becoming just the second to do so.
Doubles Results
1. #46 Indianna Spink/Morgan Cross (ARKW) def. #28 Guillermina Grant/Mai Nirundorn (UGA) 6-2
2. #30 Meg Kowalski/Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Lenka Stara/Grace O’Donnell (ARKW) 6-4
3. Kelly Keller/Carolina Gomez (ARKW) def. Anastasiia Lopata/Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) 7-5
Singles Result
1. #6 Lea Ma (UGA) def. Kelly Keller (ARKW) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5)
2. #18 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #74 Carolina Gomez (ARKW) 6-1, 6-2
3. #76 Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Indianna Spink (ARKW) 6-3, 6-4
4. #78 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) vs. Morgan Cross (ARKW) 5-7, 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
5. #112 Meg Kowalski (UGA) def. Lenka Stara (ARKW) 7-5, 6-3
6. Guillermina Grant (UGA) vs. Kacie Harvey (ARKW) 6-3, 5-7, 3-1, unfinished
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