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Baseball: Ole Miss posted an 8-7 walk-off to claim the rubber game of a series
The Bulldogs had tied the game in the eighth and again in the ninth, and each time Ole Miss answered. With one out in the ninth, Anthony Calarco reached on a base hit. After an intentional walk to Will Furniss, TJ McCants lined a single to left. Graduate Connor Tate ran up to the ball and fired it home to catcher Fernando Gonzalez but pinch-runner Judd Utermark was able to score on the play to end the contest.
The Rebels (23-21, 5-16 SEC) jumped ahead 2-0 in the first courtesy of a two-run blast by Ethan Lege, his third of the year. Rebel freshman right-hander Grayson Saunier was perfect for the first 3.1 innings. With one out in the fourth, redshirt-freshman Charlie Condon smashed his team-leading 19th home run to make it a 2-1 game. The Rebels responded in the bottom of the inning with another two-run home run, this time from Jacob Gonzalez, his seventh off the season.
In the fifth, Georgia (24-20, 8-13 SEC) turned to graduate Kyle Greenler in relief of Liam Sullivan who had allowed four runs on six hits over four innings with three walks and two strikeouts. He worked a scoreless frame. Junior Colin Caldwell started the sixth and allowed a solo home run to Peyton Chatagnier for a 5-1 lead. Junior Will Pearson pitched a scoreless frame for Georgia.
Georgia pushed across an unearned run in the seventh to make it 5-2 but left the bases loaded as Jack Dougherty got the Rebels out of the jam in relief of Mason Nichols. In the bottom of the seventh, the Rebels put a runner in scoring position, and Georgia brought in left-hander Jarvis Evans to face the left-handed hitting Anthony Calarco. Evans struck him out to keep it 5-2.
In the eighth, Georgia loaded the bases on base hits by Ben Anderson, Condon and Connor Tate. Parks Harber made it 5-4 with a two-run single. After a sacrifice bunt by Cole Wagner, Will David’s RBI-groundout tied the game at 5. The Rebels responded with two runs on two hits in the bottom of the eighth to reclaim the lead. Ethan Lege (3-for-5, 3 RBI) provided the go-ahead RBI-single and Kemp Alderman added another one for an insurance run and a 7-5 advantage. Then with one out in the ninth, graduate Ben Anderson smashed a game-tying two-run homer to make it 7-all.
Saunier provided six innings, allowing one run on two hits with no walks and six strikeouts but got a no decision. Despite five runs over the final three innings, Dougherty got the win and improved to 3-3 while freshman Leighton Finley dropped to 2-1.
“We didn’t play well for the first six innings and that’s where the game was lost,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “I thought we played well and competed the last three innings. We got some clutch hits and made some big plays, really fought back and gave us a chance those last three innings. The play at the plate to end the game was a tough way to lose.”
Georgia returns to Foley Field on Tuesday for the start of a five-game home stand. Georgia will play host to Kennesaw State with first pitch scheduled for 6:02 p.m. The game will be available on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
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