BASEBALL: Dawgs Blast Spartans 15-3
The 18th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the USC Upstate Spartans 15-3 in a mid-week bout on Tuesday evening in front of 2,732 spectators at Foley Field.
“After that Georgia Southern game where we we’re winning 5-0 the message has been that you can’t let up,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “You can’t give anything away. You have to continue because in college baseball, runs get scored, so you have to score as much as you can especially early on. I thought our kids did a really nice job tonight of fighting, just not giving in, and not giving any at-bats away.”
Georgia’s (14-3) 15 runs came on 16 hits, led by a 3-for-4, five RBI, two-run performance by Conner Tate, and a 3-for-6, two-run performance from Cole Tate. Cole Wagner went 2-for-3, with three RBI and one run, while eight Bulldogs notched one hit apiece. The Tate twins combined to hit for the cycle.
On the mound, Coleman Willis (1-0) went three innings giving up only one run on two hits with two strikeouts to earn the win on a staff night. In relief, Hank Bearden went two innings allowing two hits with two strikeouts, Davis Rokose went 0.2 innings followed by Will Pearson who provided 1.1 innings allowing a hit and fanning three Spartans, Michael Polk went one inning giving up two runs on two hits with while Jake Poindexter closed it out with one inning of work and two strikeouts. USC Upstate (11-5) right-handed pitcher Austin Morgan was tabbed with the loss as they employed seven hurlers.
The Bulldogs struck first plating five runs in the first inning. With the bases loaded, Conner Tate lined a single to center field that scored two runs. Moments later, with a full count and runner on the corners, Cole Wagner smashed a three-run home run over the scoreboard in right field to give Georgia a 5-0 lead.
In the second inning, the Bulldogs extended their lead. With runners on the corners, Connor Tate hit a long ball to right-center field, Georgia’s second three-run home run of the day, to extend the lead to eight. The Spartans broke the Bulldogs shutout in the third, plating one run to make it 8-1.
After two scoreless frames for Georgia, the Bulldogs added two more runs on a two-RBI single to left field by Ben Anderson, giving UGA a 10-1 lead heading into the sixth.
In the seventh, the Bulldogs scored three runs. With no outs and runners on first and second, Randon Jernigan singled on a ricochet off the pitcher to score one run. One batter later, with runners on the corners, Shane Marshall ripped a double down the left-field line to plate another run. With two outs, Dwight Allen II finished off the Bulldogs rally with an RBI infield single, building the UGA lead to 12.
In the eighth, USC Upstate cut the margin to 10 thanks to a two-run home run, however, the Bulldogs responded plating two In the bottom of the frame. With runners on first and second, Cole Tate lined an RBI double down the right-field line score one, while Shane Marshall picked up his second RBI of the night on an infield ground out. Georgia would go on to win 15-3.
Georgia will open Southeastern Conference play at Foley Field on Friday, March 18 with a three-game series against the Mississippi State Bulldogs – the 2021 College World Series Champions. First pitch is slated for 7:02 p.m. and be televised on the SEC Network and available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Quick Hits
• Streaking – Ben Anderson and Corey Collins both extended their streak of reaching base safely to 15 games.
• Touch ‘em All – The Bulldogs hit two home runs on the night, Cole Wagner hit his second-career home run (392 feet, 101 exit velocity), while Connor Tate hit his second home run of the season (382 feet, 104 exit velocity).
• Tricky Triple – Cole Tate recorded his third-career triple in the second inning, his first of the season.
• Runs Batted In – With 5 RBI on the evening, Connor Tate tied his career-high for RBI in a game.
• Feelin’ 22 – Birthday boy Shane Marshall entered the game today for Corey Collins in the sixth inning and hit a RBI double in the seventh
• The Tate Bros. Cycle – Cole and Conner combined to hit for the cycle on the evening, going 6-for-10 with six RBI and four runs scored.
SOFTBALL: Georgia Loses To Tech 12-3
The 16th-ranked Georgia softball team dropped a 12-3 decision to in-state rival Georgia Tech Tuesday at Jack Turner Stadium in five innings.
“Obviously it was a tough night for us,” said head coach Tony Baldwin. “I thought we got off to a pretty good start, we made a couple good defensive plays, put together some at-bats there in the first and then the second inning just got away from us… some free passes, some plays that we had the opportunity to make, and we didn’t make them. When you’re giving free base runners and then giving up the long ball, it’s hard to defend. We can be a little bit better. We can be a little bit stronger. Hats off to Georgia Tech, they outplayed us tonight and we’ll go back to work and try and correct some of these things we came up short on tonight.”
Junior Sydney Kuma and sophomore Sydney Chambley each had two hits in the game. Kuma along with sophomore Jayda Kearney each hit a home run in the contest. Senior Lacey Fincher was on base three times after being hit by a pitch all three plate appearances.
Britton Rogers (7-1) suffered her first loss of the season in her start. She allowed six runs in one and a third innings. Senior Lauren Mathis worked three innings out of the pen for the Bulldogs on Tuesday.
An eight-run second inning capped by a grand slam from Tech’s Caroline Davis put the Yellow Jackets (16-8) in front 8-0. A three-run home run in the third widened Tech’s lead to 11-0.
Kearney knocked a two-run home run to left center to start chipping away at the Yellow Jackets’ lead in the home half of the third, 11-2.
Kuma tried to get something going for the Bulldogs (22-4) with a leadoff home run over the video board in left in the fourth, making it 11-3.
Georgia Tech hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth to bring the final tally to 12-3.
Georgia will look to bounce back at home this weekend when Darmouth, Illinois, and Mercer come to Athens for the UGA Classic. The Bulldogs take on Dartmouth at 6 p.m. Friday to open UGA Classic play.
WTENNIS: #10 Georgia Takes On #4 Ohio State Today in Athens
Date: March 16, 2022
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Athens, Georgia
Site: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
MEDIA INFORMATION
Media Guide: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/8be78889/i-IyMIYfy0WIOq5NMh2wtQ?u=https://gado.gs/8b6
Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/18d232ff/GmD9RBO8bEiUlMLD4q9olQ?u=https://gado.gs/7mv
Live Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/842c3f84/SoUiSarAvU2oAZe9Ljxezg?u=https://gado.gs/1jq
Social Media
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Women’s Tennis on Twitter @UGAWomensTennis, on Instagram @UGAWomensTennis, and on Facebook @GeorgiaWomensTennis or check out information online at georgiadogs.com.
QUICK HITS
780 Wins, 19 SEC Titles, 6 National Championships
Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace is now in his 37th year at the helm of the Bulldogs’ tennis program. As the nation’s winningest active women’s tennis coach, Wallace is one of only two coaches to record 750 wins in women’s tennis history. Wallace entered the 2022 dual season with 773 career victories.
Dawgs Love League Play
The 10th-ranked Bulldogs are riding a 24-match win streak against SEC opponents, dating back to the 2019 SEC Tournament.
Bernstein’s Beliefs
“We are looking forward to bringing the momentum that we built on the road last weekend to our home courts tomorrow,” said Georgia associate head coach Drake Bernstein. “We feel that we have made leaps as both a group and individually and are excited to let that show against a Top-5 opponent.”
Dawgs in the Rankings
No. 10 Georgia boasts seven rankings: A quintet of individuals, No. 25 Reasco, No. 49 Ma, No. 71 Kowalski, No. 113 Vidmanova, and No. 122 Hertel; a pair of doubles teams in No. 62 Coppoc and Hertel and No. 64 Grant and KowalSKi
In the fall, the ITA also ranks the Top-10 Freshman/Newcomer, Reasco came in at No. 4.
Scouting the Buckeyes
No. 4 Ohio State is coming off of a 6-2 win over to Xavier. The Buckeyes are 8-3, 1-0 BIG 10 on the season. Ohio State owns a quartet of rankings: Three individuals in No. 4 Irina Cantos Siemer, No. 19 Isabella Boulais and No. 43 Sydni Ratliff; One doubles team in No. 15 Irina Cantos Siemer & Sydni Ratliff.
On the Road Again
The Bulldogs will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, March 19, for an SEC bout with the Tennessee Volunteers at noon.
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