BASEBALL: Georgia Beats Florida 8-5
Georgia posted an 8-5 win over Florida in a planned 10-inning exhibition Friday in front of a crowd of 2,436 here at 121 Financial Ballpark.
Georgia built a 5-0 lead in the third. Sophomore Corey Collins delivered a two-out, opposite field grand slam to key the outburst off Brandon Sproat. The Bulldogs added a run in the fifth while the Gators responded with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to make it a 6-2 contest. Florida’s best chance to climb back in the contest came in that frame, but sophomore Jaden Woods put out the fire, retiring Florida’s Judd Fabian with the bases loaded. An inning later, the Gators left a couple more in scoring position when Woods battled back to register a pair of strikeouts.
In the eighth, sophomore Luke Wagner smashed a solo home run and Parks Harber added a run-scoring single for an 8-2 lead. The Gators pushed across three runs in the ninth for the final.
“We played 32 guys and had contributors up and down the lineup,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “Eleven different guys pitched tonight. Jaden (Woods) got us out of a jam, and a lot of guys pitched extremely well. Jonathan Cannon started and set the tone, and he was followed by (Liam) Sullivan and (Dylan) Ross, (Luke) Wagner, (Michael) Polk, (Davis) Rokose, just go down the line. Nolan Crisp came on in the 10th and closed it out so that was awesome for him and right before that Collin Caldwell got us out of a jam in the ninth. The pitching staff did their job.
“It’s called a scrimmage for a reason, so you can get everybody in there. We had a lot of guys get their feet wet. We showed we’re a pretty good team, and it’s a good way to end the fall,” Stricklin added.
Bulldog sophomore Liam Sullivan picked up the victory, Crisp collected a save while Sproat got the loss.
Game Highlights
*Junior Jonathan Cannon started and pitched a perfect frame with one strikeout.
*Sophomore Liam Sullivan retired all three Gators he faced with a couple of strikeouts for the victory.
*Sophomore Garrett Spikes delivered an RBI-single for a 1-0 lead in the third.
*Sophomore Corey Collins blasted an opposite field grand slam for a 5-0 advantage in the third.
*Junior Dylan Ross registered a couple of strikeouts to strand a Gator at 3rd base in the third inning.
*Sophomore Luke Wagner pitched a scoreless inning and then smashed a solo home run in the eighth.
*Sophomore Jaden Woods inherited a bases-loaded two-out jam in the fifth after the Gators had already scored a pair and faced Judd Fabian, a second-round pick (#40 overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft who hit 20 home runs last season. He retired him on three pitches to maintain a 6-2 edge. Woods pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
*Junior Michael Polk struck out the side in the seventh on 13 pitches.
*Sophomore Parks Harber notched an RBI-single for an 8-2 lead in the 8th.
*Sophomore Davis Rokose pitched a scoreless frame in the eighth.
*Junior Nolan Crisp took care of the 10th for a save.
WBB: Jenna Staiti Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
Jenna Staiti, a sixth-year senior on the Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team, has been tabbed to the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, which recognizes the top center in women’s college basketball.
The Cumming, Ga., native is one of just 20 players on the initial list. Lady Bulldog fans can help determine this year’s winner by participating in fan voting in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10, and then to just five in February. The five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee in March. The voting link can be found by clicking here.
The winner of the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award will be announced at a date to be determined. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award.
Staiti is one of only eight players in Georgia history to score over 1,000 career points, record over 500 rebounds and block over 150 shots. Last season, she led all SEC players with 85 total blocks. In all, Staiti has scored in double figures in 32 of her last 37 games with 12 double-doubles. She was named to the 2021 All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Tournament Team last season.
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