The UGA Baseball team completed the sweep against Toledo in a doubleheader that saw the second game end in extra innings.

The two main themes that were apparent in both games for the Bulldogs was outstanding starting pitching and patience at the plate. The Bulldogs rode both of these qualities to two hard-fought victories.

In game one, Emerson Hancock was on the mound for the Bulldogs and although he did not have his best stuff, he found a way to work out of tough situations. Hancock ended up giving up only one run on six hits and four walks while having seven strikeouts in six innings.

The Bulldogs also gave Hancock eight runs of support with seven of those runs coming in the first two innings. Aaron Schunk was the standout batter in game one as he finished with 3 RBIs while going 3 for 5.
The Bulldogs ended up winning the game 8-3 and earning 10 walks in the game helped give their offense multiple opportunities to score.

Head coach Scott Stricklin was very impressed with Schunk’s effort in both games and had high praise for the Bulldogs third baseman.

“That’s the best I’ve seen Aaron play this weekend, all-around, every single ball he hit, he hit right on the nose every single one of his outs were loud outs,” said Stricklin. “He’s very valuable, you could argue he’s our best player right now.”

In game two, starter Ryan Webb matched Hancock’s performance as he held the Rockets to one run on 5 and 2/3 innings pitched while only allowing three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Webb seemed comfortable on the mound and started to struggle when the rain began to fall heavily.

Webb’s start was similar to Hancock’s, in that, he had some run support early on in the game. The Bulldogs gave Webb a five-run lead when he was on the mound and it seemed that this game was going to follow the same script as the first two games.

The Bulldogs earned nine more walks in this game and each one of those walks ended up being the winning run that gave them the lead in extra innings. C.J. Smith was the star for the Bulldogs as he finished 4 for 5 with his first career home run that gave him three RBIs.

“When you look at their stats they had some guys that had walked a lot of hitters,” said Stricklin. “The biggest thing is just making sure you get a good pitch to hit.”

Aaron Schunk earned the 7-6 win for the Bulldogs as he made the move from third to pitcher and gave the Bulldogs three solid innings of work. Schunk later said that changing his mentality from being a third baseman to a pitcher is not an issue and that he just wants to help his team earn the win.

He had a vital role in both games tonight and he should continue to be one of the Bulldogs biggest contributors.

The Bulldogs will play Kennesaw State next on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Foley Field.