Baseball: Dawgs Sweep Lipscomb
The 18th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs completed a sweep of Lipscomb, winning a doubleheader 9-2 and 9-5 Sunday at Foley Field.
“I thought our guys did a really good job of staying focused,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “We play so many guys. If you’re just playing nine guys all the time, it’s tough to have energy because the guys in the dugout don’t feel like they have a chance to play.”
With the three-game sweep, Georgia improved to 13-3 while the Bisons dropped to 9-7.
Game One
Georgia’s nine runs came on eight hits, led by a 3-for-6 performance from freshman Cole Wagner. Sophomore Corey Collins went 2-for-5, graduate Connor Tate went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while five Bulldogs notched one hit apiece.
On the mound, sophomore Liam Sullivan (2-1) went five scoreless innings, giving up four hits with five strikeouts to earn the win. In relief, sophomore Jaden Woods went two innings and allowed two runs on two hits with three strikeouts, while junior Nolan Crisp pitched two scoreless innings and fanned three. Lipscomb right-handed pitcher, Ike Buxton (1-1) was tabbed with the loss.
The Bulldogs struck first in the bottom of the first, plating one run on an RBI single to left by Wagner, who had a career-high three hits in the first game. After three scoreless frames, Georgia extended its lead in the fifth on a two-RBI single to center field by sophomore Parks Harber, who pinch-hit for Chaney Rogers.
In the sixth, the Bulldogs exploded for five runs with the first coming on an RBI single to center field by pinch hitter Fernando Gonzalez. Ben Anderson, Harber and Cole Tate all drew bases-loaded walks before a wild pitch scored the last run of the inning for Georgia.
Lipscomb cut the UGA lead to six in the seventh on a two-run home run by Ethan Stamps, an Athens area product. The Bulldogs responded by plating another run in the eighth to cap a 9-2 victory in front of a crowd of 2,843.
Game Two
The Bulldogs were led by graduate centerfielder Ben Anderson and sophomore left-hander Luke Wagner in game two to complete a sweep in front of a Foley Field crowd of 2,770. Anderson erupted for two hits including a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Wagner came on in relief of sophomore Garrett Brown and pitched three scoreless innings while picking up the win to move his record to 5-0.
Brown opened the game for the Bulldogs and pitched a scoreless first inning. The Bulldogs’ bats got off to a hot start following an RBI double and an RBI single by Collins and Harber, respectively. The double by Collins extended a six-game hitting streak and scored the senior Anderson, who reached base due to a 10-pitch walk that extended his on-base streak to 14 games.
The Bisons quickly responded following another two-run home run from Stamps and a sacrifice fly by former Bulldog Caleb Ketchup in the top of the second to give Lipscomb a 3-2 lead.
After giving up a few hits and another run in the top of the third, Brown was replaced by Wagner. Brown was tabbed for four runs, eight hits and three strikeouts. The Bison lead was cut to 4-3 in the bottom of the third following a Connor Tate sacrifice fly that scored his brother, Cole.
Wagner was able to keep the Bison bats at bay for the fourth and fifth innings en route to a three-inning scoreless outing. The sophomore from Pennsylvania gave up three hits and one walk while fanning three Bisons. He was replaced by freshman Chandler Marsh with two outs in the sixth inning.
Georgia would take a 5-4 fifth-inning lead thanks to an RBI from each of the Tate brothers.The game was blown open in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to a three-run home run from Anderson to give the Bulldogs an 8-4 lead.
Marsh was able to close out the sixth inning with no damage and tallied scoreless seventh and eighth innings. The freshman from Florida pitched 2.1 scoreless innings and allowed two hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the seventh after a successful squeeze play by senior Shane Marshall scored Connor Tate. Marshall took over behind the plate in the sixth inning after Gonzalez took a foul ball off his hand.
Senior Jack Gowen gave up one run with two strikeouts in the top of the ninth the seal the series sweep for the Bulldogs. Wagner picked up the victory for Georgia, and sophomore Tyler Legere (0-1) is tabbed with the loss for the Bisons.
Georgia will return to action for a mid-week bout against USC Upstate on Tuesday, March 15. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
WBB: Georgia Earns 6th Seed in Greensboro Region
The University of Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team has earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Greensboro Region and will play either Dayton or DePaul on Friday in Ames, Iowa.
If Georgia defeats Dayton/DePaul, the Lady Bulldogs will play either No. 3 seed Iowa State or No. 14 seed UT Arlington on Sunday. South Carolina is the No. 1 seed and Iowa is the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region.
Georgia has now earned bids to 35 of 40 NCAA Tournaments, which trails only Tennessee nationally for most invites to the Big Dance. The Lady Bulldogs rank fifth among all Division I programs with 92 tourney games played, while the team’s 57 all-time tourney wins ranks seventh.
In all, the Lady Bulldogs have advanced to 20 NCAA Sweet 16’s, 11 Elite Eights and five Final Fours (1983, 1985, 1995, 1996 and 1999).
This year’s Georgia team is led by graduates and All-SEC performers Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison. Staiti became one of just 27 players in program history to earn first-team All-SEC accolades, while Morrison landed on the All-SEC second team and All-Defensive squad. Freshman Reigan Richardson has had the hot hand as of late, scoring in double figures in six of the last seven games.
Georgia is 20-9 overall this season and has played well away from home. The Lady Bulldogs are 9-4 on the road, with wins against then-No. 2 ranked NC State and Notre Dame.
ICYMI: Mike White is Georgia’s New MBB Coach
Mike White, who has averaged more than 22 wins per season in 11 campaigns as head coach at Florida and Louisiana Tech, has been named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. Josh Brooks, UGA’s J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics, announced White’s hiring on Sunday.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Mike White and his family to Athens,” said Brooks. “We have witnessed Coach White to be a leader of men, as well as a proven winner with an impressive postseason body of work. We want to compete for national success in all 21 of our sports, and we believe that he is the coach that can build Georgia Basketball to a consistent winner on the collegiate basketball landscape.”
“We are thrilled to welcome a coach with Mike White’s integrity, character and competitive excellence to the University of Georgia,” said Jere W. Morehead, University of Georgia President. “He has been a leader throughout his extensive head coaching experience at Florida and Louisiana Tech, and we are confident that he will make a positive impact on UGA student-athletes and our campus community.”
White’s teams have advanced to postseason play during eight of 10 possible seasons. He has spent the past seven seasons at Florida, compiling a 142-88 record and leading the Gators to five postseason bids including four NCAA appearances. In four campaigns at Louisiana Tech between 2011-15, White was 101-40, and the Bulldogs won a trio of conference regular-season titles and advanced to three NITs.
“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at the University of Georgia,” White said. “President Jere W. Morehead and Athletics Director Josh Brooks are united in a strong vision for UGA Basketball which resonated with me deeply. They believe, as I do, in developing our young men as students, athletes and leaders, as well as providing them with the support they need to be successful. I believe in the limitless future of Georgia Basketball.
“I am extraordinarily grateful to the leadership of Scott Stricklin and to the entire Florida Athletics staff for an amazing experience during my tenure,” White continued. “Thank you to each and every one of our current and former players. Your hard work, commitment and dedication was and continues to be an inspiration. I will cherish our relationships forever. In addition, the Gainesville community has been wonderful to my family and I. We are truly thankful for our time at the University of Florida.
“To the Georgia Basketball family, friends and fans, I’m ready to get to work. Go Dawgs!”
Florida has earned five consecutive postseason bids under White, reaching the 2016 NIT quarterfinals and earning four consecutive NCAA bids from 2017-21. The Gators, who advanced to the Elite Eight in 2017, are the only SEC team and one of just 12 nationally to reach each of the last four editions of “March Madness.” Florida is one of only six schools to win a game in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. White was voted SEC Coach of the Year by both league coaches and the Associated Press in 2017, and eight different Gators have earned All-SEC honors a combined nine times during his tenure.
At Louisiana Tech, White led the Bulldogs to the Western Athletic Conference regular-season crown in 2013 before winning back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2014 and 2015. The Bulldogs reached the NIT in each of those campaigns and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015. In NIT play, Louisiana Tech recorded a trio of impressive road victories, toppling Florida State in 2013, Georgia in 2014 and Texas A&M in 2015.
White was named WAC Coach of the Year in 2013 and Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2015. He coached the 2015 C-USA Player of the Year, two WAC Newcomers of the Year, the 2014 C-USA Sixth Man of the Year and the 2014 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
White came to Louisiana Tech as a 35-year-old after spending seven seasons (2004-11) as an assistant coach at Ole Miss, his alma mater, where he developed a reputation as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. White helped lead the Rebels to four NIT berths, including two runs to the NIT Final Four, and SEC West titles in 2007 and 2010. White also spent four years at Jacksonville State from 2000-04, three as an assistant coach and the final season as associate head coach.
White was a four-year starter at Ole Miss and helped the Rebels to a pair of SEC West Division titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. White excelled off the court as well, earning a spot on two SEC Academic Honor Rolls and being named to the 1999 SEC Good Works Team.
WTENNIS: TOP 10 Georgia Defeats South Carolina 4-1
The 10th-ranked University of Georgia women’s tennis team defeated the 59th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks 4-1 Sunday afternoon, in Southeastern Conference play. Today’s win marks the 24th consecutive SEC win by the Bulldogs, dating back to the 2019 SEC Tournament.
In doubles, Georgia (6-2, 3-0 SEC) took two-of-three from South Carolina (7-5, 2-1 SEC). After dropping the match on court one, the freshmen duo of Mell Reasco and Dasha Vidmanova came back from down 2-3 to earn a 7-5 win over Ayana Akli and Ana Cruz. With the Bulldogs and Gamecocks each holding a doubles victory, it came down to court three. The tandem of freshman Guillermina Grant and graduate Meg Kowalski overcame a 2-4 deficit to top USC’s Misa Malkin and Elise Mills 7-5 and clinch the doubles point for Georgia.
In singles play, UGA picked up wins from Coppoc, No. 113 Vidmanova and No. 122 Hertel. Coppoc picked up the first win of the afternoon for the Bulldogs, dominating No. 85 Elise Mills 6-4, 6-2. She was quickly followed by Hertel who overcame a 1-4 deficit in the first set – winning 11 consecutive games – to top Ana Cruz 6-4, 6-0, while Vidmanova beat Megan Davies 6-1, 6-3 to clinch the match. No. 25 Reasco fell to No. 66 Ayana Akli in straight sets. (Note: The match was moved indoors due to low temperatures)
Next up, the Bulldogs return to Athens to host No. 4 Ohio State for a mid-week match on Wednesday, March 16 at 1 p.m.
MTENNIS: Georgia Downs No. 7 South Carolina, 4-3
Georgia men’s tennis freshman Miguel Perez Peña delivered a win at the sixth singles court to seal the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs’ 4-3 victory against seventh-ranked South Carolina on Sunday at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Center.
The two teams moved indoors due to cold temperatures in the Athens area, setting up a back-and-forth affair between a pair of top-10 programs.
Down 3-2, the Bulldogs relied on courts five and six to deliver the win. Following Blake Croyder’s three-set triumph against James Story, Perez Peña ousted Casey Hoole, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to hand Georgia the clincher.
The Bulldogs are now 11-4 overall, 3-1 in the SEC. South Carolina — which defeated No. 1 Tennessee on Friday — falls to 13-4, 2-2 in the league.
“I cannot say enough about our guys,” head coach Manuel Diaz said. “They competed so hard. I think everyone was upset at the doubles point — we put ourselves in a position to win that doubles point, but just could not get it done. We have a good number of areas to improve on and have a huge weekend next week. If we clean up a few things, we have a chance against anybody we play. But, I am so pleased to come out of here with a big win in front of a great crowd here today.”
Georgia played impressive doubles early on, headlined by Erik Grevelius and Croyder at No. 3. The Bulldog combo went a up a double break 5-2 on a shot by Grevelius at 40-40, before hanging on for the 6-2 victory against Raphael Lambing and Story.
Trent Bryde and Philip Henning stormed out to a 5-0 advantage at No. 2, while Hamish Stewart and Tristan McCormick were locked in a tight battle at the No. 1 court, before falling 6-4.
South Carolina’s duo of Jake Beasley and Toby Samuel went on an impressive run to put the match back on serve at 5-all. The two teams went to a tiebreaker at 6-6, where Beasley and Samuel won 10-8 to clinch the doubles point.
In singles, McCormick and Henning helped the Bulldogs jump out to a fast start. After fighting through a first-set tiebreaker, McCormick cruised in the second frame for a 7-6 (4), 6-0 win over Connor Thompson. Henning then used a deciding second-set tiebreaker to take down Toby Samuel, 6-4, 7-6 (4) and put the Bulldogs up 2-1.
South Carolina then tied the match at 2-2 thanks to Lambling’s 7-6 (8), 6-4 victory over Bryde.
Stewart once again played a fantastic match at No. 1, but fell just short in a third set, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to No. 16-ranked Daniel Rodrigues. Down by one, Georgia’s hopes now rested with Croyder at No. 5 and Perez Peña at No. 6.
The pair delivered and the Bulldogs held on for the important SEC win.
SOFTBALL: Dawgs Take USC Series, Drop Finale 7-3
The 15th-ranked Georgia softball team fell to South Carolina in the SEC-opening series finale Sunday at the Carolina Softball Stadium, 7-3.
South Carolina (16-8, 1-2) avoids the series sweep by the Bulldogs and snaps Georgia’s winning streak at 16 games. Georgia is now 22-3 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.
Kylie Macy (5-1) suffered the loss in her start in the circle, allowing three runs. Britton Rogers worked four innings in relief of Macy, striking out four and allowing three runs. Madison Kerpics also had two innings of work out of the pen.
Georgia’s offense recorded five hits from five different hitters. Junior Sara Mosley and sophomore Jayda Kearney each provided a home run in the contest.
Mosley knocked her second home run of the series with two out in the first inning to put Georgia ahead early 1-0.
A pair of leadoff walks led to trouble as South Carolina’s Katie Prebble followed with a home run to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first with no out. Rogers then took over in the circle. The Gamecocks added another later in the inning on an RBI double to lead 4-1 after one. A couple Bulldog defensive miscues in the third allowed the fifth Gamecock run to score, 5-1.
Following a leadoff walk to Lacey Fincher, Kearney launched a two-run home run to center, cutting the South Carolina lead to two in the top of the fourth, 5-3.
South Carolina added one each in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-3 lead.
Georgia couldn’t get a rally going in the seventh and fell in the finale.
Georgia returns to Jack Turner Stadium to open a 10-game homestand beginning Tuesday when the Bulldogs host in-state rival Georgia Tech. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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