[su_spacer size=”40″] The Commodores (26-7, 8-2 SEC) jumped out 3-0 in the first compliments of a two-out three-run double by Will Toffey. In fact, Vanderbilt would score all nine of their runs Friday with two outs and led 9-2 at one point before the Bulldogs (18-13, 5-5 SEC) climbed back in the contest. The Commodores loaded the bases in the first on a hit batter, walk and single and then Bulldog right-hander Sean McLaughlin battled back to strike out Zander Wiel and Bryan Reynolds before Toffey delivered. In the second, the Commodores struck again with two outs, this time a two-run double from DansbySwanson to make it 5-0.
[su_spacer size=”20″] [su_spacer size=”20″] With a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, Georgia sophomore centerfielder Stephen Wrenn extended his streak of reaching base safely to all 31 games this season. In the bottom of the second, junior Daniel Nichols (2-for-3, 2 RBI) reached on a four-pitch walk. Then, freshman Keegan McGovern made it 5-2 when he blasted the first pitch he saw from Carson Fulmer 405 feet over the centerfield fence for his third home run of the year.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Toffey blooped a two-out run-scoring single to shallow left field for a 6-2 lead in the fifth. Vanderbilt pushed across three more two-out runs in the sixth as Georgia made a pair of throwing errors. The Bulldogs had a two-out rally of their own in the sixth, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 9-5. Trevor Kieboom started the scoring with an RBI-single and Mike Bell (2-for-4, 2 RBI) followed with a two-run single. Fulmer battled back to retire Wrenn to leave the bases loaded. Georgia trimmed the margin to 9-7 in the seventh with a two-run single by Nichols off reliever Philip Pfeifer. Georgia had runners at second and third but the left-hander came back to strikeout Kieboom and retired Bell to maintain the lead.
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[su_spacer size=”40″] “The bottom line is we have to make more plays because when you play the number one team in the country, you have to play clean baseball,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said. “We got in a hole early, and we made a lot of loud outs and battled to the very end. We got 10 hits off a couple guys that are going to be Big Leaguers. You have to tip your cap to Vanderbilt, they got all nine of their runs with two outs, and that’s why they’re the No. 1 team. I thought Daniel Nichols played a great game for us and Sean, Zach Waters and Jared Cheek competed well on the mound. Sean’s pitch count was up early in the game, and he still hung in there and got us to the sixth inning.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] The series continues Saturday with first pitch slated for 2:05 (SEC Network+).
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