(Photo by John Kelley)
Heath Holder was brilliant in eight innings of work on the mound for the Bulldogs (11-5), taking a no-hitter into the eighth and teaming with Blakely Brown to blank Lipscomb (9-6) and allow Georgia to take a 1-0 decision on Saturday afternoon at Foley Field.
In a 0-0 draw, the Bulldogs came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to win. Stephen Wrenn singled with one out to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, and Keegan McGovern walked to put two on with one out. After a Daniel Nichols flyout, freshman Michael Curry came through with the game-winning single to the wall in left to clinch the series for the Bulldogs.
A pitcher’s duel in the early running, Nichols recorded the only hit for either team through three innings. Lipscomb threatened in the fourth with two on and no outs, but Holder was able to escape unharmed thanks to a flyout and strikeout sandwiched around a heady play from Skyler Weber to pick a runner off at first from behind the plate.
The offenses remained quiet through the seventh inning, and Lipscomb recorded its first hit of the afternoon with a leadoff single in the eighth to end Holder’s no-hit bid. He responded well, holding Lipscomb off the board courtesy of a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the frame and maintain the 0-0 tie.
Holder was lifted in favor of Blakely Brown to start the ninth inning, and Lipscomb immediately struck for a single to center off the freshman. Brown maintained his composure and kept Lipscomb off the board through the frame.
The Bulldogs mounted a rally in the ninth, using a Wrenn single with one out and a Lipscomb balk to start the threat. A walk to McGovern put two runners on before a Nichols flyout, and Curry’s walk-off winner gave Georgia the 1-0 win.
Dawg Tracks
– Skyler Weber’s bunt single in the sixth extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games. It was Georgia’s second hit of the contest.
– Heath Holder had arguably the best outing of his career on the mound, going a career-best eight innings while allowing only one hit and three walks while striking out eight batters. It was the most innings Georgia has gotten from a starting pitcher this season.
– Stephen Wrenn’s ninth-inning single to left extended his hitting streak to nine games.
– Michael Curry’s walk-off, pinch-hit single in the ninth improved his numbers as a PH to 4-for-4 with 5 RBI.
– The walk-off was Georgia’s fourth of the young season.
– Georgia’s last 1-0 win came against Georgia Tech in 2014 at Foley Field, also a walk-off win.
Stricklin Says
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin
On the performance of Heath Holder and Blakely Brown…
“They were outstanding. They can’t get much better than that. A no-hitter into the eighth inning, we threw a lot of strikes. Heath is a competitor, and I know he wasn’t happy with his last few starts. He came out and really showed the kind of guy that he is, the kind of pitcher that he is. We expect that all the time out of him. He expects it all the time out of himself. It was really good to see him get back in form. Blakely, that’s the guy that we know he can be. He’s been a little bit up and down. He’s a freshman, that’s going to happen. In that big moment, in the ninth inning, he went in and shut it down. That was really good to see.”
On Michael Curry’s walk-off hit…
“He was really loose. When he went up to the plate he was excited. He was smiling. He wasn’t tight at all. A lot of times you see freshmen get tight in those situations. He was really loose and relaxed. He got a pitch up in the zone and he put a good swing on it. He’s going to be aggressive, he’s not going to get cheated. That’s what you want out of your pinch hitters. You want someone that’s going to be aggressive, and Michael was aggressive, and he got a good pitch to hit and put a great swing on it.”
On another dramatic win…
“Our guys are tough. They’re resilient. It’s giving us all heart attacks and stomach problems but we’re just finding ways to win. They’re not always pretty, but we’re pitching well, we’re playing good defense, and we’ve gotten clutch hits when we’ve needed them. At the end of the day, the object is to win a baseball game. Whether you win 8-7 or 1-0 it’s still a win. We’ll take it. We need to go back and get some rest and get ready to play a little bit better tomorrow because this is a really good team we’re playing and we’ve got a chance to sweep them.”
Players’ Perspective
Sr. P Heath Holder
On his performance…
“I felt great. I changed it up a bit, tried to work faster. I attacked hitters more. I felt really good, I felt like myself.”
On his approach in the contest…
“Get ahead early, whether it be with a fastball or slider or curveball. Then try to let the hitters get themselves out and let the defense work behind me, which they did a great job of. If I got ahead of (hitters) in the count I just put them away.”
Fr. C Michael Curry
On coming through in a clutch situation…
“I don’t know how to explain it, really. I wish I could just take my pinch hit approach when I’m in the lineup. It’s a great feeling to do whatever I can to contribute to the win. It was exciting. I went up there, saw it and hit it. First and foremost, (Heath Holder) had an outstanding outing, kept us in the game and had a no-hitter into the eighth. He did an excellent job. The bats finally came around, and when the situation called for it we executed.”
On what was going through his mind in his at-bat…
“Nothing. That’s a good thing. I wish I could have that going through my mind when I’m in the lineup. That’s the great thing about pinch hitting, I don’t have time to think. I just stepped in the box and tried to keep it simple. Don’t think anything and try to hit the ball. It’s been working.”
Up Next
Georgia will look to finish off the sweep against Lipscomb as the teams square off Sunday at 1 p.m.
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