In game one, Missouri starter Reggie McClain, who redshirted his first season at Georgia in 2012 before transferring to Manatee Junior College, returned to Athens and tossed a complete game. It was McClain’s second complete game of the year, and he also leads the SEC in innings pitched. He allowed six Georgia hits, while striking out seven.
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[su_spacer size=”20″] [su_spacer size=”20″] The Bulldogs pieced together their only run in the first when Jared Walsh hit a 2-out RBI double, scoring Stephen Wrenn. Walsh’s hit extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Wrenn reached base on a leadoff single, which extended his streak of reaching base to 18 games.
In game two, Missouri (14-4, 2-0 SEC) used a four run tenth to propel them to an 8-4 win after Georgia had rallied late with three home runs to force extra innings. Georgia nearly rallied in the ninth putting the winning run at second with two outs when Nick King bounced one up the middle that was gloved by shortstop Ryan Howard who threw to first. King was called out on a close play at first as Bell slid home.
Georgia was in position after producing fireworks in the eighth inning as Wrenn and Weber hit back-to-back home runs to tie the ballgame. This was the first time Georgia went back-to-back since Walsh and Brett DeLoach did it in 2013 against Florida. The home runs were both Wrenn and Weber’s second career blasts. Wrenn had gone the first 70 games of his career without a homer, but now has hit two in the last three games. Weber hit his first career home run in his previous at bat, in the sixth inning; he had gone 63 games without a homer before Saturday night.
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“I thought we had some good at bats, Stephen Wrenn and Skyler Weber put good swings on those balls and hit those home runs to give us a chance,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklinsaid.
Weber scored three of Georgia’s four runs, besides his two home runs he also scored in the first inning, when Walsh plated him with an RBI single. This single extended Walsh’s hit streak to a career high 15 games, in this game Weber also saw his streak extend to eight games. Wrenn lengthened his streak as well with his dinger in the eighth he has now reached base in all 19 games this season.
Starter Sean McLaughlin went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out four. In relief, Georgia received an outstanding outing from freshman Bo Tucker, he pitched a career high three no-hit innings, which helped keep the Bulldogs in the game. Closer Jared Cheek, pitched great in the ninth, but struggled in the tenth, when he gave up four runs without recording an out. He received the loss, falling to 1-1. Ryan Avidanofinished off the tenth with a solid performance, holding Missouri hitless, while striking out two.
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Missouri freshman starter Tanner Houck went 7.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out seven. Reliever Breckin Williams picked up the win for the Tigers, he is now 3-0.
“Sometimes when you are not playing very well and it seems like everything goes against you and it doesn’t seem like you are getting any calls, you just have to take responsibility,” Stricklin said. “We have to make better plays, we have to make better pitches and at the end of the day you have to look at yourself in the mirror, because you can’t blame anyone else.”